23andMe Holding Co., (NASDAQ: ME) shares squeaked ahead mid-week Wednesday. The company, a leading human genetics and preventive health concern, today released a new report on the genetics of emotional eating for 23andMe+ Premium members, informing them if they are at a higher likelihood of frequent emotional eating.
Emotional eating occurs when an individual frequently eats to cope with difficult feelings. It often involves eating high-calorie, unhealthy foods, despite not feeling physically hungry, and can result in overeating.
Emotional hunger is not satiated by food in the same way that physical hunger is, so while emotional eating may feel good in the moment, it can cause physical discomfort and feelings of guilt or shame. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, 27% of U.S. adults say they eat to manage stress. In addition, research has found that mental health conditions, especially depression and anxiety, are major causes of emotional eating.
23andMe’s Emotional Eating PRS report is based on a statistical model known as a polygenic risk score (PRS), developed by 23andMe through its proprietary research database. The report takes into account an individual’s genetic results at many genetic markers, along with their genetic ancestry and birth sex to estimate the likelihood of frequent emotional eating. According to published data, it’s estimated that genetics explains 9-60% of predisposition to emotional eating.
Shares in ME picked up but one cent, or 3.4%, Wednesday to 35 cents.