Exposure to stressors (including social, financial and environmental ones) may lead to the development of chronic diseases through negative behavioral (i.e., dysfunctional eating behaviors) and physiological (i.e., allostatic load) adaptations to stress. This is important to Latinxs in the US and in Puerto Rico given that they are disproportionately exposed to stressors and bear a high burden of chronic diseases. Thus, stress may be an important factor to study among Latinxs as it may render them to greater metabolic disadvantage and risk of diseases. However, Latinxs in the US and in Puerto Rico have remained largely understudied in research.

This seminar will present the interrelationship between stress, dysfunctional eating behaviors, physiological adaptations to stress, and chronic diseases in different Latinx populations in the US and in Puerto Rico. It will also highlight novel pathways between stress and health in these minority groups.