Work burnout tied to emotional eating in women: study Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:02pm EDT (Reuters) - Women who are fed up with their jobs may be more likely to turn to food for comfort in times of stress, according to a Finnish study. The study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that those who reported work burnout were also more likely to have a habit of "emotional" eating, or eating when stressed, anxious or down, rather than just hungry. What's more, they were more prone to "uncontrolled" eating -- the feeling that you're always hungry or can't stop eating until all the food's gone. "Those experiencing burnout may be more vulnerable to emotional eating and uncontrolled eating and have a hindered ability to make changes in their eating behavior," wrote Nina Nevanpera of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, who led the study. We recommend that burnout should be treated first and that burnout and eating behavior should be evaluated in obesity treatment. Overall, 22 percent of the women had some degree of work burnout. As a group, they scored higher on measures of emotional eating and uncontrolled eating. "Work permeates our lives," said Sherry Pagoto, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and a clinician at the university's Weight Center. "People may be in a job where they're unhappy, or a marriage where they're unhappy, and eating can become one of the few pleasures in their lives," added Pagoto, who was not involved in the study. One reason might be education, Nevanpera said. Still, she added, emotional eating is a potential risk factor for becoming heavy in the future. And it's not particularly healthy, since stressed-out people are more likely to reach for chocolate or fast food than an apple. Pagoto agreed that addressing sources of stress in general was important, adding that big stress triggers in life may make it difficult to lose weight and keep it off. When people are not overweight, emotional eating is still not a good idea, she said. It's reinforcing a habit that's not healthy. SOURCE: bit.ly/yeSCiv