Effect of the Interaction between Mental Stress and Eating Pattern on Body Mass Index Gain in Healthy Japanese Male Workers

Abstract

BackgroundThe effect of the interaction between long-term mental stress and eating habits on weight gain has not been confirmed in humans.MethodsA population of 1080 healthy Japanese male local government employees without lifestyle-related diseases were studied. Height and weight were measured and perception of mental stress and the frequency of eating to satiety, drinking, smoking, and exercise were surveyed by means of a questionnaire in both 1997 and 2002. Exposure patterns during this 5-year period were classified as low or high. Information on daily food and energy intake was collected in 2002. The effect of the interaction between stress and the frequency of eating to satiety on change in BMI (ΔBMI) during this 5-year period was examined by 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA) adjusted for age, BMI at baseline, and other lifestyle habits. The association between satiation eating and ΔBMI was compared between participants with high and low levels of stress.ResultsStress and satiation eating were not significantly mutually correlated. Two-way ANCOVA showed a significant interaction (F = 4.90, P = 0.03) between mental stress and satiation eating. Among participants with a high level of stress, BMI gain was significantly larger in those who ate to satiety than in those who ate moderately, when ΔBMI was unadjusted or adjusted for covariates (adjusted mean [SE]: 0.34 ± 0.06 kg/m2 vs. 0.12 ± 0.07 kg/m2, P = 0.002). Among participants with a low level of stress no such difference was observed. These results were unchanged after further adjustment for energy intake in 2002.ConclusionIn this population, eating pattern interacted with long-term mental stress to produce a larger body mass gain in satiation eaters than in moderate eaters among participants with a high level of stress, independent of energy intake or other lifestyle habits.

Body Mass Index-Modified Relationship of Chronic Mental Stress With Resting Blood Pressure During 5 Years in Japanese Middle-Aged Male Workers

“…We previously revealed an interaction effect by which satiation eating compared with moderate eating resulted in a significantly larger increase of body mass independent of energy intake during 5-year exposure to chronic mental stress. 23 Thus, it is highly probable that simultaneous exposure to mental stress and satiation eating or rapid eating 41 would bring about BP increase through mediation of weight gain.…”

“…participants selected an answer from the choices "very much," "much," "ordinary," and "little." 23 The answers had been verified elsewhere to be significantly associated with long-lasting job-related conditions such as work time, demand and control and also with feelings in daily life such as subjective wellbeing ("ikigai" or "hari " in Japanese), presence of confidant and sleeping time, which were also asked in the questionnaire. 25 Thus, the perceived level of mental stress over the 5 years was assessed as "low" if a participant answered "ordinary" or "little" in both years; "high" if he answered "very much" or "much" in both years; "middle" if he answered "ordinary" or "low" in one year, and "very much" or "much" in another year, and was presumed to represent chronic mental stress.…”

“…23 The choices for smoking status were: "do not smoke," "have quit smoking," and "smoke," and those who responded with either of the first 2 choices were labeled as non-smokers, and the remainder as current smokers. 23 The items regarding alcohol were "frequency" and "amount of ethanol per drink".…”

“…23 The choices for smoking status were: "do not smoke," "have quit smoking," and "smoke," and those who responded with either of the first 2 choices were labeled as non-smokers, and the remainder as current smokers. 23 The items regarding alcohol were "frequency" and "amount of ethanol per drink". This information was combined to produce ethanol intake levels as described previously, 23, 27 Prefecture, Japan, started in 1997 and 6,482 (5,349 male and 1,133 female) employees aged 40 years or older enrolled in a health checkup survey and responded to a lifestyle questionnaire after providing written affirmative informed consent for the use of information.…”

Eating and stress at work: The need for public health promotion intervention and an opportunity for food product development?

“…This replicated the findings of several previous studies conducted across various cultures. Academic staff (Kandiah, Yake, & Willet, 2008) and factory workers (Ng & Jeffery, 2003) in the USA, civil servants (Toyoshima et al, 2009) and agricultural workers (Tstsumi et al, 2003) in Japan, truck drivers in Brazil (Penteado, Goncalves, da Costa, & Maques, 2008), factory workers in Korea (Park & Jung, 2010) and civil servants in Poland (Potocka & Moscicka, 2011) who experienced stress at work, also tended to report unhealthy dietary patterns. These effects may be exacerbated by shift work (Lowden et al, 2010).…”