Influence of emotions caused by life events in food intake and plasma levels of appetite hormones in women

Abstract

The eating behavior is related with emotions. Hedonic and homeostatic system combined with the environmental and psychological experiments, the physiological signals and neural processes regulate the appetite. These conditions underlie the hypothesis that emotions caused by the life events, in a context of high food availability, can increase food intake. So that food acts as an attenuator of tension, and this can affect the appetite hormones. Objective: To investigate the influence of emotions generated by life events on food intake and levels of appetite hormones in an environment with high food availability. Method: Forty adult and healthy women (20 overweight and 20 normal weight women) will be evaluated. Both groups will pass to two interventions with videoclipes: a video that evokes bad emotions caused by life events and a video with common everyday scenes, considered a neutral intervention. The emotions caused by the interventions will be assessed by an analogue scale and a qualitative instrument. Blood samples will be collected before and after interventions to measure the modification oh appetites hormones. After these procedures will be offered ad libitum palatable foods, contend sweets, snacks, fruit, orange juice and refrigerants. Food intake will be assessed by direct observation. Energy, carbohydrate, and fat nutritional aspects will be analyzed. Finished the food intake, the emotions evoked by the interventions and the self-perception of food intake during bad emotions of life events will be explore by a focal group. (AU)