The "Why Living In A Poor Neighborhood Can Make You Fat" article has science in it

"Consistent exposure to cortisol may re-wire the brain, for example, shrinking the pre-frontal cortex and bulking up the amygdala, the walnut-sized nodes in the brain that regulate emotions like fear and pleasure. Over time cortisol can increase the risk for depression and mental illness.

And cortisol’s physiological effects could explain the powerful links between stress and metabolic illnesses like Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. In mice, stress amps up cravings for energy-dense foods; in people, comfort- or stress-eating is a familiar phenomenon.

Persistently elevated cortisol levels have been closely tied to weight gain, increased abdominal fat, and other aspects of metabolic syndrome, a collection of things that includes obesity and pre-diabetes. 'Even if you’re not stress-eating, there’s a direct link between cortisol and Type 2 diabetes risk, and cortisol and obesity,' Hasson says."

~ A. Curry

http://m.nautil.us/issue/31/stress/why-living-in-a-poor-neighborhood-can-make-you-fat