Intermittent sucrose solution intake and its schedule of access modulate energy intake and weight gain in response to chronic variable stress in mice.

There is a strong relationship between stress and the intake of calorically-dense palatable food. Additionally, intake of sodas is an important contributory factor to obesity, and is often associated with palatable food consumption. We studied the effects of 2-h intermittent access to sucrose-sweetened water (SSW, 12.3%, soda-like) and its schedule of administration on the response to chronic variable stress in mice fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet. C57BL/6 mice (n = 64) had access to water or to both water and 2-h SSW during 5 weeks, in addition to their diet. After the first two weeks, half of the animals from each group were stressed daily using a chronic variable stress (CVS) paradigm, while the other half were kept undisturbed. During the CVS exposure period, 2-h SSW access was either scheduled randomly, right before the stressors or right after the stressors. The effects of SSW and its schedule of administration on dietary intake, stress hormones and adiposity were analyzed. Results showed a larger consumption of SSW and higher bodyweight gain in mice receiving SSW after the stressor. In addition, SSW consumption was shown to affect appetite regulation by reducing CCK sensitivity. The present study suggests that SSW leads to overconsumption and weight gain only if provided after exposure to stress. These findings may implicate a relation between exposure to stress, binge-drinking behaviors of sugar sweetened beverages that ensues, and weight gain in humans consuming a western diet.

The influence of sociocultural factors on the eating attitudes of Lebanese and Cypriot students: a cross-cultural study.

BACKGROUND: The present comparative cross-cultural study aimed to explore the relationship between eating behaviour and sociocultural influences with respect to appearance and body image in female university students from two cultural contexts, namely Cyprus and Lebanon. METHODS: The Dutch Eating Behavior questionnaire (DEBQ) and the Perceived Sociocultural Influences on Body Image and Body Change Questionnaire were used to assess sociocultural influences and body image, respectively, in 200 students from each country. RESULTS: The results indicated that the Lebanese students were more likely to engage in emotional and external eating and their body image was impacted to a larger extent by sociocultural agents, including media influences, compared to the Cypriot students. Also, a positive relationship was found between emotional and external eating in both cultures. Finally, sociocultural influences correlated positively with external eating only in the Cypriot sample. CONCLUSIONS: Culture-specific factors, such as the societal values and norms, as well as the Westernisation history of each country, are discussed as underpinnings for the differences found. These findings are significant for understanding the rise of eating pathology in these two cultures and provide evidence for a need to consider cultural environment when designing public health policies addressing the negative aspects of nutrition transition.