Virtual portion tasks have been used to predict food intake in healthy individuals, severity of illness in individuals with anorexia nervosa, and weight loss in bariatric surgery patients. Whether portion creation in response to a recalled interpersonal stress (“recalled stress portions”) could be used as a proxy for ad lib intake, after a stressor, remains untested, and the mechanism supporting this relationship is unclear. The present study's goals were: 1) to validate virtual portion tasks as proxies for actual food intake in a stressful context and 2) to test a causal pathway in which these virtual stress portions predict ad lib intake after stress. We proposed that this relationship is mediated by virtual portions created the moment after laboratory stress or rest manipulation (momentary portions), and before the participant actually ate food. At screening, 29 healthy undergraduate white women created virtual portions of eight snacks (apples, olives, potato chips, pretzels, caramel popcorn, milk chocolate) that they typically eat and also portions they recall eating in response to a stressful interpersonal situation. In addition, after a Trier Social Stress Test, or a rest period, on separate days in counterbalanced order, participants created ‘momentary’ virtual portions of the same snacks presented during screening, and then were given potato chips, mini golden Oreos, and M&Ms to eat. Recalled stress (b = 0.07 ± 0.02, p = 0.003), and momentary stress (b = 0.12 ± 0.02, p = 0.00001), portions of milk chocolate accounted for 29% and 51%, respectively, of the variance in ad lib stress intake of M&Ms. Typical (b = 0.15 ± 0.07, p = 0.03), and momentary rest (b = 0.21 ± 0.06, p = 0.002), portions of chips accounted for 16% and 31%, respectively, of the variance in ad lib rest intake of chips. The causal pathway from recalled stress portion to ad lib stress snack intake was completely mediated by momentary stress portion for milk chocolate and M&Ms (β = 0.04 ± 0.02, z = 2.4, p = 0.0154). These findings illustrate the planning and recall components of eating in response to stress, but not necessarily under rest conditions. This recalled stress virtual portion paradigm has clinical and research value in that it can detect those who overconsume in response to stress.

虚拟部分任务已被用于预测健康个体的食物摄入量、神经性厌食症个体的疾病严重程度以及减肥手术患者的体重减轻。是否可以将针对回忆的人际压力的部分创建（“回忆的压力部分”）用作在压力源之后即兴摄入的代理，仍未测试，支持这种关系的机制尚不清楚。本研究的目标是：1) 验证虚拟部分任务作为压力环境中实际食物摄入的代理；2) 测试这些虚拟压力部分预测压力后即兴摄入的因果途径。我们提出，这种关系是由实验室压力或休息操作（瞬时部分）后创建的虚拟部分介导的，在参与者真正吃东西之前。在筛选过程中，29 名健康的本科白人女性制作了她们通常吃的八种零食（苹果、橄榄、薯片、椒盐脆饼、焦糖爆米花、牛奶巧克力）的虚拟部分，以及他们回忆起在应对压力人际关系时吃过的部分。此外，在经过特里尔社会压力测试或休息期后，在不同的日子里，参与者按平衡顺序制作了相同零食的“瞬间”虚拟部分，然后给予薯片、迷你金色奥利奥和 M&M去吃。回忆压力 (b = 0.07 ± 0.02, 牛奶巧克力），他们通常吃的食物，以及他们回忆起在紧张的人际关系中吃的部分。此外，在经过特里尔社会压力测试或休息期后，在不同的日子里，参与者按平衡顺序制作了相同零食的“瞬间”虚拟部分，然后给予薯片、迷你金色奥利奥和 M&M去吃。回忆压力 (b = 0.07 ± 0.02, 牛奶巧克力），他们通常吃的食物，以及他们回忆起在紧张的人际关系中吃的部分。此外，在经过特里尔社会压力测试或休息期后，在不同的日子里，参与者按平衡顺序制作了相同零食的“瞬间”虚拟部分，然后给予薯片、迷你金色奥利奥和 M&M去吃。回忆压力 (b = 0.07 ± 0.02,p  = 0.003) 和瞬时压力 (b = 0.12 ± 0.02, p  = 0.00001)，牛奶巧克力的份量分别占 M&Ms 即兴压力摄入量变化的 29% 和 51%。典型 (b = 0.15 ± 0.07, p  = 0.03) 和瞬时休息 (b = 0.21 ± 0.06, p  = 0.002)，薯片部分分别占即兴休息摄入量变化的 16% 和 31%筹码。从回忆压力部分到即兴压力零食摄入的因果通路完全由牛奶巧克力和 M&Ms 的瞬时压力部分介导 (β = 0.04 ± 0.02, z = 2.4, p = 0.0154)。这些发现说明了饮食的计划和回忆成分以应对压力，但不一定是在休息条件下。这种召回的压力虚拟部分范式具有临床和研究价值，因为它可以检测那些因压力而过度消费的人。