29
Oct 2026
Why do we turn to comfort food? A survey of 1,203 adults offers clues
A cross-sectional study of 1,203 UK adults found that stronger expectations of positive emotions from high-fat, salt and/or sugar foods were weakly associated with poorer diet quality and more frequent comfort eating. Negative emotional expectations about many foods also tracked with comfort eating, but the study did not establish whether eating these foods actually changed mood.