Brazilian research indicates that young people who suffer physical punishment are more likely to 'take out' stress on food.

By Gabriela Cupani, from Agência Einstein - In addition to the physical and emotional impact, adolescents who suffer some type of violence may increase their consumption of foods considered to have low nutritional quality and decrease their intake of healthy foods. They prefer ultra-processed foods, such as cookies, packaged snacks, and sweets, and neglect fruits and vegetables, as shown by research from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

The authors evaluated data from over 100,000 young people from more than 3,000 public and private schools across the country. Among the students, 15,3% reported having suffered some type of physical punishment in the month prior to the interview.

In this group that suffered some type of punishment, the chance of eating snacks four times a week, for example, was 44% higher. In the case of sweets, this number was 22% higher, and for sugary drinks, 38%. The probability of eating beans and vegetables in the same period fell by 25% and 19%, respectively. More than half of those interviewed snacked on sweets and savory biscuits at least four times a week.

Stress x food

"The preference for this type of food serves to relieve tension, since they are also 'comfort foods' that evoke good memories, as a way to compensate for sadness," says nutritionist Emanuele Souza Marques, professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro and one of the leaders of the study. 

"These young people suffer double harm in terms of nutrition, both from the increased consumption of poor-quality foods and from the decrease in the consumption of healthy foods," he adds. 

Furthermore, stress hormones stimulate cravings for foods high in fat and sugar: "these foods act on the brain's reward system," says nutritionist Thais Abad, from Einstein Clinics. "It is known that ultra-processed foods are 'designed' to be super palatable. Sometimes, food is the only escape for this teenager." 

The problem is that these items end up replacing healthy meals. "A person eats a bowl of instant noodles for lunch and prefers chocolate to fruit for dessert," Abad exemplifies. 

It has been proven that a diet rich in ultra-processed foods is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, among others. Therefore, consumption of these items should be minimal. 

"Often, teenagers are unable to adhere to a diet or healthy habits, and professionals need to investigate other aspects of their lives in an attempt to understand the reasons behind their food choices," says Marques, author of the UERJ study. 

The numbers of violence 

It is estimated that, every year, half of children and adolescents between the ages of two and 17 worldwide suffer some type of violence. Around 300 million children between the ages of two and four suffer violent punishment. 

Furthermore, a third of adolescents between the ages of 11 and 15 have felt bullied by their peers, according to data from a World Health Organization (WHO) report on preventing child violence published in 2020. 

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