Why should people have less of an appetite for sweets when they are stressed, and is there a gender difference in taste sensitivity?

One possible reason is that stress can affect blood sugar
levels and deplete nutrients, and the body may crave more nutrient-dense foods to
compensate. Sweet foods are not normally nutrient-dense, whereas animal proteins and
dairy products are very nutrient dense.

It has been
suggested that one reason women crave certain foods at different times has to do with
hormonal activity and the ways in which certain nutrients are depleted during
menstruation and pregnancy. Iron loss is common during menstruation and iron-rich foods
include red meat, spinach, whole grains and black beans. Women's craving for chocolate
is not linked so much to the sweetness as it is to the high levels of magnesium found in
chocolate, a mineral needed for effective calcium absorption. Loss of calcium aggravates
stress, and can cause muscle twitches and
irritability.

Failure to crave sweets during times of
stress may in this way be linked to the body's attempt to prevent calcium, magnesium
and/or iron loss.