The Digestive System
Two in three people claim to eat more when stressed while the remaining one-third eats less. The types of food preferred during stress tend to be full of sugar, fat, and carbohydrates.
When the body is under stress, it focuses on taking care of the most important parts of the body for the situation—the heart, the brain, et cetera—and less so on other areas—specifically the digestive system. Stress causes the digestive processes to slow down. Saliva and digestive enzymes and acids are not secreted, and muscle contractions of the stomach and small intestine stop while the contractions of the large intestine increase, resulting in diarrhea or possibly irritable bowel syndrome.
It was once believed that stress caused ulcers. We have learned since that this is not true and that a bacterium living in most people’s stomachs are to blame. However, an overgrowth of the bacterium happens because a combination of stress and lifestyle risk. Other factors taken out, stress increases the risk for ulcers two to three times.