In MNT’s article relating to comfort foods, they speak of the stress relief that could come by eating the foods and there is often a variation in the amount based on the sex of the person. The article presents information from a study from Cincinnati that found that certain foods can help stress and there is a large network of hormones as well as nervous systems that are involved in determining the foods reliving effects.

Stress relief by ‘comfort foods’ may vary between sexes and across the estrous cycle