'Doom eating': why young people are starting on a reckless comfort-eating spiral

Nov. 27, 2024 - PRLog -- If the US election result is making you depressed and the recent UK Budget left you feeling cash-strapped, you're not alone. Many people on both sides of the Atlantic are feeling increasingly anxious about the state of politics, society and the economy. Rather than drawing in our horns and living more frugally, however, an increasing number of us are 'doom eating': gorging on our favourite fatty foods to give ourselves some much-needed cheer.

It's now a discernible trend among Millennials (people born between around 1981-1996) and Gen Zs (people born between around 1997-2010). Many people in these age groups are getting a temporary boost from the feel-good chemicals in fatty foods but they are storing up future health problems, warns a leading expert.

Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: 'Comfort eating is nothing new. However, there is increasing concern about doom eating, which is the self-soothing behaviour of consuming processed foods high in saturated fat to relieve psychological stress.

'Many younger people are in the habit of "doomscrolling": watching endless negative and depressing news on TikTok and other social media sites. It's all too easy to then resort to doom eating with a takeaway or a tub of ice cream.

'The TikTok #stresseating trend, where users show themselves tucking into fast or fatty foods to relieve stress, is often presented humorously and reveals just how common this way of coping with modern pressures has become. It also gives a false sense of safety in numbers. Just because many other people are indulging in stress

'It's likely that fast foods are playing a big role in pushing up LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels among Millennials. This age group has been brought up in the era of microwave meals and junk food deliveries. It's easy to turn to these foods at times of stress or depression. Fortunately, there are tests people who are tempted to indulge in doom eating can take to measure and control their cholesterol levels.

'London Medical Laboratory's offers a range of tests which include cholesterol level analysis including a comprehensive Well Person test. Alternatively, an inexpensive and convenient home finger-prick Cholesterol Profile test measures total cholesterol, LDL "bad cholesterol", HDL "good" cholesterol, non-HDL (a newly adopted, more accurate, measure) and other key markers including triglyceride levels.

'The cholesterol test can be taken at home through the post, or at one of the many drop-in clinics that offer these tests across London and nationwide in over 120 selected pharmacies and health stores. For full details, see: https://www.londonmedicallaboratory.com/product/cholesterol-profile