Cortisol and Food Insecurity

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Food Insecurity
• Interventions: Behavioral: High-Stress Intervention

• Registration Number: NCT05191030
• Lead Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles

Brief Summary

This study will use a within-subjects design in a sample of individuals with a range of food insecurity recruited from the Los Angeles community (N = 400; 50% men). These participants will then, in counterbalanced order, be exposed to a gold-standard laboratory stressor and a control condition, one month apart. Moderation analyses will test whether cortisol reactivity to the stressor acts as a modulator of the relationship between high levels of food insecurity and increased hyperpalatable food intake.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-01-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-01-12
• Study First Posted: 2022-01-13
• Study Start: 2022-03-11
• Status Verified: 2024-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-07-25
• Last Update Posted: 2024-07-29
• Primary Completion: 2026-03-01
• Study Completion: 2026-03-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 400

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 18+
• English-speaking

Exclusion Criteria

• Recent (<1 year) diagnosis of major psychiatric disorders including any mood disorder, schizophrenia, or PTSD
• Recent (<1 year) diagnosis of eating disorder
• Recent (<1 year) diagnosis of metabolic or endocrine disorder or steroid or hormonal contraceptive use
• Pregnancy
• Allergy to any of the foods in the food buffet
• Participation in strict dieting or caloric restriction

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Experimental (High-Stress) Arm	High-Stress Intervention	Participants undergoing the experimental (high-stress) arm are exposed to a gold-standard laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (Kirschbaum et al., 1993). Participants are given five minutes to prepare for a five-minute speech task followed by a five-minute mental arithmetic task in front of two panelists wearing white lab coats (i.e., a male and female research assistant). The speech task posits the participant in a mock interview, with the two panelists listening to the speech in an unresponsive, neutral manner and asking standardized probing questions. Participants undergoing the mental arithmetic task are instructed to subtract odd numbers (i.e., 7 and 13) from a large number (i.e., 2935) as quickly as possible. If the participant makes a mistake, the panelist interrupts them and instructs them to start the task again from the beginning. The panelists also constantly remind the participant to "go faster" if they start to slow down with the task.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Hyperpalatable Food Intake Measured in Kilocalories	Hyperpalatable food intake will be measured immediately after the intervention.	The primary outcome will be hyperpalatable food intake, initially measured in grams and converted into kilocalories. The food will consist of the following items: donuts, M\&Ms, potato chips, crackers, and Sprite. These foods were chosen because processed foods, added sugars, refined grains, starchy vegetables, and sugar sweetened beverages are foods to avoid according to the 2019 American Diabetes Association Nutrition Consensus Report and are high in carbohydrates and glycemic index.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of California, Los Angeles; 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California, United States