If you're a healthy young man and you eat protein, fat, or drink water before a stressful situation, your stress hormone (cortisol) doesn't go up much more than if you'd eaten sugar instead.

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Pro

43

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

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Community contributions welcome

No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

43

Community contributions welcome

43

Glucose but not protein or fat load amplifies the cortisol response to psychosocial stress.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2002 May

The study found that only sugar (glucose) made stress hormones go up more than usual — protein, fat, and water didn’t. So saying they all have the same small effect is wrong: sugar is special here.

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Glucose but not protein or fat load amplifies the cortisol response to psychosocial stress.

Score: 43

DOI: 10.1006/HBEH.2002.1766

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