According to a recent finding regular stress levels might lead to over eating and thus to obesity.

The study has been done at Departments of Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering at the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine, observed the effects of stress on meal patterns and food intake of animals exposed to the similar levels of stress on human beings.

The recent study developed rats into colonies, composed of four males and two females, and compared it with a control group.

Within designated days the colonies formed a hierarchy that made an establishment the dominance of a male and the coordination of the other three males.

Results have found that once the hierarchy was established, the dominant rats reinstated their food consumption relatively same with the other animals, on the other hand the subordinate rats continued to eat less by reducing their number of meals.

It was observed that the dominant rats gained weight and lean mass, but when compared to the control group, the subordinate rats gained significant fat in the visceral (belly) region.

The results stated enough evidence that stress leads to over eating. However work is in being done to prove it further.