Women likely craved more comfort foods during pandemic: study

Women were more likely to consume high-calorie foods in response to stress during the pandemic, a new study suggests.

The study, led Allan Geliebter, a psychologist at the Department of Psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, analyzed a small sample of 31 participants comprised of 16 men and 15 women. The research took place 14 months before and during the coronavirus pandemic looking at nutritional intake for each individual on randomized days – two weekdays and one weekend. Researchers looked at calorie intake from solid foods such as fruits and vegetables along with snack food and sodas and cited previous research that suggests women are more likely to have a higher intake of sugar and saturated fat than men and were likely to consume more as a response to stress.