Cortisol and Food Insecurity

Description

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.

Conditions

Food Insecurity

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

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.

Food Insecurity, Poor Diet, and Metabolic Syndrome: Cortisol's Amplifying Role

Cortisol and Food Insecurity

Condition
Food Insecurity
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Los Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Age 18+
  • * English-speaking
  • * 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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

University of California, Los Angeles,

A. Janet Tomiyama, Ph.D., PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of California, Los Angeles

Study Record Dates

2026-03-01