Student   1   Student Sample Dr. Heather Martin WRIT 1133- 28 April 28, 2017 Dessert is Stressed Spelled Backward: An Analysis of Stress Severity and its Relation to Stress Eating in the DU Community This selection of documents is intended to provide adequate background information and data on the subject of stress related eating patterns and the extent to its effects based upon the level of severity and duration. All of the sources cited below are of credible nature and are based upon scientific reason and research. They have all either referenced studies or have conducted experiments themselves on the topic of stress-induced food intake. Due to the collection of findings that support both increases and decreases in the usual intake of food, many of the sources focus on more detailed correlations between the relationship of appetite and stress. For example, the relationship between stress and changes in eating behaviors is widely accepted; however, recent studies examine the resulting changes and differences between acute stress, chronic stress, and various stress sub-groups (emotional, social, physical, and etc.) and the choices in the type of foods consumed when under these various forms of stress. There is great concern for obesity as a consequence of stress eating; however, obesity is covered in this bibliography. The purpose of these materials is to serve as a foundation for a survey of the effects and/or perceived of effects of stress eating in the University of Denver student community, looking for similarities and/or differences in the data between them. For the sake of both time and length, obesity will not be included a prominent factor of the discussion but will be noted as a highly acknowledged concern for long term stress eating. Adam, Tanja C., and Elissa S. Epel. “Stress, Eating and The Reward System.” Physiology & Behavior, vol. 91, no. 4, 2007, pp. 449–458. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.04.011. Adam and Epel’s article provides insight into the detailed physiological, anatomical, and physiobiological processes that results in eating behaviors before, after, and during stress. It forces on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis’s role in the body’s response to stress, noting the chemical response and how they interact with the brain and nervous system. It also emphasizes the possibility of the two types of stress response one being the stereotypical fight or flight model where decreased eating is expected and the other being a challenge model where control is demanded of the situation and increased eating is observed. It also highlights the effects of voluntary restrained eating, in addition to food intake in relation to the brain’s reward system when looking at the presence of cortisol and the ways in which it might make an organism food reward dependent as a result of stress. Overall, this paper offers a very in depth insight into the chemical components behind food.

1. Student
1
Student Sample
Dr. Heather Martin
WRIT 1133- 28
April 28, 2017
Dessert is Stressed Spelled Backward:
An Analysis of Stress Severity and its Relation to Stress Eating
in the DU Community
This selection of documents is intended to provide adequate
background information and
data on the subject of stress related eating patterns and the
extent to its effects based upon the
level of severity and duration. All of the sources cited below are
of credible nature and are based
upon scientific reason and research. They have all either
referenced studies or have conducted
experiments themselves on the topic of stress-induced food
intake. Due to the collection of
findings that support both increases and decreases in the usual
intake of food, many of the
sources focus on more detailed correlations between the
relationship of appetite and stress. For
example, the relationship between stress and changes in eating
behaviors is widely accepted;
however, recent studies examine the resulting changes and

2. differences between acute stress,
chronic stress, and various stress sub-groups (emotional, social,
physical, and etc.) and the
choices in the type of foods consumed when under these various
forms of stress. There is great
concern for obesity as a consequence of stress eating; however,
obesity is covered in this
bibliography. The purpose of these materials is to serve as a
foundation for a survey of the
effects and/or perceived of effects of stress eating in the
University of Denver student
community, looking for similarities and/or differences in the
data between them. For the sake of
both time and length, obesity will not be included a prominent
factor of the discussion but will be
noted as a highly acknowledged concern for long term stress
eating.
Adam, Tanja C., and Elissa S. Epel. “Stress, Eating and The
Reward System.” Physiology &
Behavior, vol. 91, no. 4, 2007, pp. 449–458.
doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.04.011.
Adam and Epel’s article provides insight into the detailed
physiological, anatomical, and
physiobiological processes that results in eating behaviors
before, after, and during stress. It
forces on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis’s role
in the body’s response to stress,
noting the chemical response and how they interact with the
brain and nervous system. It also
emphasizes the possibility of the two types of stress response
one being the stereotypical fight or
flight model where decreased eating is expected and the other

3. being a challenge model where
control is demanded of the situation and increased eating is
observed. It also highlights the
effects of voluntary restrained eating, in addition to food intake
in relation to the brain’s reward
system when looking at the presence of cortisol and the ways in
which it might make an
organism food reward dependent as a result of stress.
Overall, this paper offers a very in depth insight into the
chemical components behind food
intake patterns witnessed during times of perceived stress. The
information gathered in this paper
will be most useful during the analysis portion of my research.
Given the timeline and recourses,
it will not be possible to personally explore the biological and
chemical workings behind the
responses from the survey I will conduct (on DU students),
however, this article provides
multiple explanations to the various responses to stress I will be
looking at such as the challenge
vs flight or fight model and the levels of cortisol associated
with those responses.
Student
2
Cartwright, Martin, et al. “Stress and Dietary Practices in
Adolescents.” Health Psychology, vol.
22, no. 4, 2003, pp. 362–369. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.22.4.362.

4. This short, peer-reviewed source was the product of a 5-year
longitudinal study, consisting of
nearly 5,000 children (mean age of 11-12). Their goal was to
find a connection between stress
and unhealthy eating patterns rather than a simple increase in
food consumption. The study’s
main form of data collection was through a survey. The survey
asked the children to rate their
consumption of foods (approximately thirty-four food items
including fruits and vegetables) and
meals (how often they snacked and had breakfast) on a five-
point Likert scale. The study showed
that the girls reported feeling more stressed than the boys, but
also reported eating less in almost
all of the categories (fatty food intake, snack frequency,
breakfast frequency, and etc.).
Overall, the main contribution this paper has, in terms of my
own research and writing, would be
the ways in which they surveyed and the positive results of their
surveying format, given that I
too will be conducting a survey and am looking for the best
angle to frame the questions. It
additionally offers credible data to compare to both the results
of my survey and other studies
since it has the largest subject pool, in addition to a new age
group of participants (most of the
other participants in related studies are of adult age, some
nearing the older adult age category).
Rutters, F., et al. “Acute Stress-Related Changes in Eating the
in Absence of Hunger.” Appetite,
vol. 51, no. 2, 2008, p. 396. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2008.04.205.
Rutters’s study focuses on the genetic influence on related

5. sensitivity in the context of the
consumption of food after the absence of hunger (as stated in
the title). This paper defined the act
of excessive energy intake as one’s susceptibility to obesity as a
result of the interplay of
genetics, behavior, and environmental factors, stress being one
of the environmental factors
prevalent in Western society. The experiment conducted by the
authors, looks the BcII gene and
the FTO gene, which are polymorphisms commonly associated
with eating despite the
individual’s lack of hunger. The subjects were asked to solve
mental arithmetic problems that
were either possible to solve (control) or impossible (acute
stress) and then given 30 minutes to
enjoy complete access to snacks. To see if the acute stress
inflicted any changes, mood state
(POM) and anxiety states (STAI state) were measured. The
results showed that certain genotypes
in the BcII gene correlated with increased eating behavior when
presented with snacks after a
stress induced situation.
Overall, this paper adds an interesting and unique perspective to
the topic of eating under stress
since the majority of studies available have been conducted on
mice with the context of external
environmental factors (such as mild stressors like tail pinching).
A genetic outlook on this topic
presents another internal and biological facet to consider in the
relationship of stress and eating.
Such information will be useful when analyzing the results from
the survey and data from other
sources since it is, yet another field of unattainable data (from
an in-person standpoint).

6. Sulkowski, M.l., et al. “Corrigendum to ‘Effects of Stress and
Coping on Binge Eating in Female
College Students’ [Eat. Behav. 12 (2011) 188–191].” Eating
Behaviors, vol. 14, no. 3,
2013, p. 410. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.03.001.
Student
3
This paper’s focus was on the relationship between stress,
coping mechanisms, and binge eating
in female college students ages 18 to 25. Although, binge eating
is not specifically the focus of
my research nor my policy brief, it is of relation in both
definition and behavior. This study
looked at 147 female undergraduates and examined the
correlations between different coping
mechanisms related to excessive eating when under
psychological stress. Their data showed that
women who had binge eating habits also perceived stress with
more intensity than those who did
not have the habits. Additionally, those who used emotional
based and avoidant coping strategies
were paired with a positive trend of stress and binge eating
whereas those who used rational base
coping mechanisms produced no correlation.
Overall, this paper offers a new factor as the main relation to
the eating behavior: coping
mechanisms. Rather than simple a stress resulting in an eating

7. behavior model, this study
suggests a stress to specific coping methods to resulting eating
behavior model. Although, it this
perspective might not be the centerpiece of my argument, it’s
input falls into a sub category of
stress eating and, additionally, offers coping mechanisms
identification, which could aid in the
solution portion of the policy brief.
Torres, Susan J., and Caryl A. Nowson. “Relationship Between
Stress, Eating Behavior, and
Obesity.” Nutrition, vol. 23, no. 11-12, 2007, pp. 887–894.
doi:10.1016/j.nut.2007.08.008.
Torres and Nowson’s academic article provides many useful
correlations written in easy to
understand language, seen both in animals and in humans,
between stress and eating patterns.
The paper highlights the influence of the severity of stress
(acute and/or chronic) and its resulting
effect seen as decreased or increased eating behavior and how
the response to stress interacts
with an organism’s physiological processes, namely how the
hypothalamic pituitary adrenal
(HPA) axis influences appetite regulation. This paper also
provides many clear definitions for
eating under stress, different types of stress (physical, chemical,
physiological, emotional, and
etc.), and the different levels of stressor (serve, mild, and etc.)
used in experiments. In the
context of weight gain that could lead to obesity, this paper also
notes the desire for heavy
nutrient foods, mainly sweet foods when the response to stress
is eating, but also notes the
general lack of knowledge on the subject of stress and eating

8. behavior due to the limitations of
work that can be conducted in a lab. The data that is available
supports the board conclusion that
stress does influence food intake and hints at the possibility of
there being gender specific
responses to the received stress.
Overall, this paper stands as the centerpiece of understanding
for this topic. It offers easily
comprehensible coverage of all of the points made in relation to
the topic of stress eating and
points supported in other papers. Many of the other sources act
as supporting research in more
specialized fields on the topic. This paper’s understandable
language will also be useful when
translating the information into the policy brief and survey
questions.
Tryon, M.s., et al. “Having Your Cake and Eating It Too: A
Habit of Comfort Food May Link
Chronic Social Stress Exposure and Acute Stress-Induced
Cortisol Hyporesponsiveness.”
Physiology & Behavior, vol. 114-115, 2013, pp. 32–37.
doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.02.018.
The aptly named scholarly article, “Having Your Cake and
Eating It Too” focuses on the effects
Student
4
of acute stress on food intake, noting the larger amount of
research available on chronic stress.

9. The experiments preformed in the study mainly focused on the
cortisol levels in saliva samples
taken from pre-menopausal women at various times before and
after stress induced situations.
They collected saliva samples at various times before the lab
sessions. They also collected
samples before and after being put through stressful situations
called the Trier Social Stress Test,
TSST, (i.e. being given 5 minutes to prepare a speech to be
presented in front of a panel of
judges) and during the control where they participated in a visit
task (i.e. watching a nature
video). Afterward they were given 30 minutes to lounge and
have free range of a buffet stocked
with low fat, savory, and sweet snacks. Those with self-reported
high chronic stress and low
cortisol reactivity consumed significantly more calories from
sources such as chocolate cake
compared to their self-reported low chronic stress and high
cortisol reactivity counterparts.
Overall, this paper serves are a reliable source as it contains its
own research on acute stress
(which has fewer available sources to pull from) and references
other articles mentioned in this
biography. This source will provide additional literary support
when analyzing my own data and
when offering context in the policy brief. The use of a buffet
(with multiple food options) during
their experiments mirrors the environment that the dining halls
offers to DU students and will
add another layer of constructive support for my augment.

10. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY RUBRIC
Exceptional
(A-level work)
Effective
(B-level work)
Inconsistent
(C-level work)
Inadequate
(D/F-level work)
Statement of
scope
Provides a sophisticated and
concise description of
subject covered in the AB,
and explains the purpose
and context of the source
list.
Provides description of
subject, purpose, and
context, but may lack

11. development or specificity.
Missing discussion of
purpose or context;
unclear relationship
between topic and
sources.
Unclear purpose or missing
altogether.
Complete
bibliographic
information
Citations are complete and
error free, conforming to the
exacting guidelines of MLA
(8th Ed.) style.
Mostly correct, though may
include minor errors (no
more than three overall).
Minor errors in multiple
citations or major errors in
one or more.
Persistent errors or
omissions in citations, or
wrong documentation style
Sources Sources represent a
collection of kernel, relevant,
and essential scholarly

12. artifacts on the topic
described in the statement of
scope.
Sources relate directly to
the topic described in
statement of scope, but
may include shorter, less
relevant, or less scholarly
sources.
Sources seem chosen
from convenience rather
than relevance to topic;
(e.g., overdependence on
popular sources,
websites, or
encyclopedias).
Sources do not relate
directly to topic or do not
represent examples of
academic or scholarly
research.
Concise
description
and
evaluation of
the work
Annotations capture, with
sophistication, the content
and value of the sources;
addresses fully and

13. succinctly considerations
including appropriateness,
credibility, balance, and
timeliness. Writing is free of
surface errors.
Clear and substantive
annotations; may lack
clarity, sophistication, or
evaluative considerations;
annotations may not
conform to word count
guidelines.
Annotations lack
development; familiarity
with source is not clearly
demonstrated and/or
evaluation is
underdeveloped; may not
conform to word count
guidelines.
Description and/or
evaluation is
underdeveloped or missing.
Relevant
commentary
Anticipates reader questions
about the sources and
addresses them accordingly.
Reader is left with minor

14. questions about the source
after reading.
Reader questions are not
addressed or only
partially so.
Annotations fail to anticipate
or address reader questions
about the sources.