Meier Maria, Bentele Ulrike U, Benz Annika B E, Denk Bernadette, Dimitroff Stephanie, Pruessner Jens C, Unternaehrer Eva
Department of Psychology, Division of Neuropsychology, University of Constance, Universitätsstraße 10, 78467 Constance, Germany.
Department of Psychology, Division of Neuropsychology, University of Constance, Universitätsstraße 10, 78467 Constance, Germany.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2021 Oct 20;134:105452. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105452.
The stress response supports survival through energy mobilization. Paradoxically, a low blood glucose level dampens the endocrine stress response, and sugar consumption prior to stress restores it. Thus, energy availability may play a causal role in the endocrine stress response. Yet, it has never been tested whether sweet taste or expectations towards a drink content modulate the stress response. We investigated the potential role of sweetness, energy load and expectations towards energy load of a drink consumed prior to stress in restoring stress reactivity after fasting. N = 152 women (mean=21.53, sd=2.61) participated in the Trier Social Stress Test for groups in the morning after an overnight fast. Prior to stress induction, participants consumed a drink containing saccharose (sugar, n = 51), an equally sweet drink containing non-caloric sweetener (sweetener, n = 46), or water (n = 56). Additionally, participants in the sugar and sweetener group (n = 97) were informed whether or not their drink contained any calories (energy prime), which was deceptive in 50% of the cases. Eight salivary cortisol (-30, -20, -10, 0, +12, +25, +35, +45 min) and three blood glucose samples (-30, 0, +25 min) were assessed throughout the experiment. The effects of the experimental manipulations on cortisol trajectories were tested using multilevel mixed models. We found that compared with water, sugar and sweetener both significantly increased cortisol stress reactivity and with comparable intensity. However, our sensitivity analysis revealed a significant effect of sugar on cortisol trajectories compared to water and to sweetener. Drink-induced changes in blood glucose concentration were not associated with increases in cortisol. The energy prime did not affect the stress response. Overall, we could replicate the boosting effect of sugar consumption in a female sample after 8 h of fasting. The specific contribution of sweet taste and metabolic hormones to this boosting effect should be tested more rigorously in sex-balanced designs in the future.
应激反应通过能量动员来支持生存。矛盾的是，低血糖水平会抑制内分泌应激反应，而应激前摄入糖分可恢复该反应。因此，能量供应可能在内分泌应激反应中起因果作用。然而，甜味或对饮料成分的预期是否会调节应激反应从未得到过验证。我们研究了应激前饮用的饮料的甜度、能量负荷以及对能量负荷的预期在空腹后恢复应激反应性方面的潜在作用。N = 152名女性（平均年龄 = 21.53岁，标准差 = 2.61岁）在禁食过夜后的早晨参加了分组的特里尔社会应激测试。在诱发应激之前，参与者饮用了含有蔗糖的饮料（含糖组，n = 51）、含有非热量甜味剂的同等甜度饮料（甜味剂组，n = 46）或水（n = 56）。此外，含糖组和甜味剂组的参与者（n = 97）被告知他们的饮料是否含有热量（能量提示），其中50%的情况是有误导性的。在整个实验过程中评估了8次唾液皮质醇（-30、-20、-10、0、+12、+25、+35、+45分钟）和3次血糖样本（-30、0、+25分钟）。使用多级混合模型测试了实验操作对皮质醇轨迹的影响。我们发现，与水相比，糖和甜味剂均显著增加了皮质醇应激反应性，且强度相当。然而，我们的敏感性分析显示，与水和甜味剂相比，糖对皮质醇轨迹有显著影响。饮料引起的血糖浓度变化与皮质醇升高无关。能量提示并未影响应激反应。总体而言，我们能够在禁食8小时后的女性样本中复制糖分摄入的增强效应。甜味和代谢激素对这种增强效应的具体贡献未来应在性别均衡的设计中进行更严格的测试。
