A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry examined the link between stress and healthy eating and found diet alone may not influence how the body registers stress, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Fifty-eight healthy women were assigned to one of two groups to measure the effects of stress on an individual's immune system in a two-day experiment. The women were given one of two breakfast meals, one of which was prepared with butter and high saturated fats. The other was prepared with sunflower oil, meant to mirror the kinds of unsaturated fats central to a healthy Mediterranean diet.
After measuring the women's blood pressure to measure markers of inflammation, a common indicator of stress levels, each woman was asked to detail the stresses of the previous day. Researchers found that of the women who ate a healthier breakfast, those who had encountered significant stressors the day before did not show lower levels of inflammation than those who received the less-healthy breakfast option, according to the article. The findings indicate that dietary choices alone may not influence the physical effects of a stressful day.
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of Ohio State University's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research and the study’s lead author, warns that the results of the study shouldn't cause individuals to give up on making good dietary choices if your life is stressful.
"We all know that when we're stressed, we don't reach for broccoli unless it's covered in hollandaise sauce" said Ms. Kiecolt-Glaser. "But it's important to recognize that what we eat and how we live can interact in ways strange and unforgiving, so we need to make the best choices in managing stress and choosing our meals whenever we can."