Feeling Hangry? Study Shows It’s Real and Can Become Chronic
You know that state in which you grow fangs and start growling at your riding buddies, your bike, maybe even the sun and the sky 30 miles into a ride because you forgot to pack a snack? That sour, grumpy mood is called “hanger,” and new research shows it’s a scientifically-proven physiological phenomenon. It can happen on or off the bike, and if you’re not careful, it can become a semi-permanent state of being.
Skeptical? So were the researchers of this study published in the journal Psychopharmacology. “I was skeptical when people would tell me that they get grouchy if they don’t eat,” Francesco Leri, Ph.D., professor of psychology, said in a press release issued by the University of Guelph.
So he and his colleagues put the concept to the test on a group of rats. First, they gave the rodents a glucose metabolism blocker to induce hypoglycemia, the sudden drop in blood sugar you experience when you get hungry, and placed them in a chamber. On another occasion, they gave the rats a shot of plain fluid and put them in a different room. After both experiments were completed, when given the choice, the rats avoided the chamber where they had hypoglycemia, a sign that they had a bad experience in there.
Blood tests during the trials revealed that the rats also had higher levels of stress hormones when they got hypoglycemic, and they appeared more sluggish than when they received the plain placebo shot.
To be sure it was changes in mood and not just lack of glucose in their muscles causing the low energy and sluggishness, the researchers gave the rodents some antidepressant medication, and the sluggish behavior disappeared. “The animals moved around normally. This is interesting because their muscles still weren't getting the glucose, yet their behavior changed,” Leri said.
Next, the researchers plan to examine whether chronic, long-term hypoglycemia from habitual meal skipping or otherwise poor eating habits could lead to a constant state of depressed mood and behavior.
“Poor mood and poor eating can become a vicious cycle in that if a person isn’t eating properly, they can experience a drop in mood, and this drop in mood can make them not want to eat,” study lead Thomas Horman, a Ph.D. student, said in the press release. “If someone is constantly missing meals and constantly experiencing this stressor, the response could affect their emotional state on a more constant level.”
The takeaway for now: Hangry isn’t just a silly portmanteau you should laugh off with your ride buddies. It’s a real phenomenon, but packing snacks for all your rides (and extra just in case!) can help ward off the sour mood shift and developing healthy eating habits now can keep you happier in long run.
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