Acute stress suppresses appetite — fight-or-flight prioritizes survival over digestion. Chronic stress has the opposite effect. Research by Dallman shows elevated cortisol increases appetite, especially for calorie-dense foods, and promotes abdominal fat storage. Short-term crises make eating difficult; long-term stress makes overeating automatic.
This companion covers the acute response, chronic response, evolutionary reasoning, modern mismatch, and breaking the pattern. (3 min read)