Most of us have turned to food for comfort during stressful times as it is a common way for a lot of people to cope with negative emotions. Stress eating, often triggered by anything from work pressure to personal struggles, can feel soothing in the moment. But the food items we typically reach for, loaded with excessive sugar and unhealthy fats, can do more harm than good.

When you're stressed, your body releases cortisol, often called the "stress hormone," to help manage the "fight or flight" response. This is your body's way of preparing for a perceived threat by providing an energy boost. However, when stress becomes chronic, cortisol levels remain elevated, disrupting your body's natural balance.

One of the side effects of cortisol is an increase in appetite, especially for quick-energy foods like sugary, high-calorie snacks. This craving isn't random, cortisol prompts the body to seek out foods that can rapidly replenish energy stores, even if there's no physical danger requiring such fuel.

The repeated consumption of these comfort foods leads to frequent blood sugar spikes, causing the pancreas to produce more insulin to manage the excess glucose. Over time, the constant demand on the pancreas can wear it down, leading to insulin resistance, a major precursor to prediabetes.

Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Think of it as a warning sign, a critical stage where your body is signalling that your glucose metabolism isn't functioning as it should. This stage is often overlooked because it doesn't have obvious symptoms, but the damage to your body may already be underway.

According to an article, titled "Prediabetes Prevalence by Adverse Social Determinants of Health in Adolescents", published in JAMA Pediatrics, nearly one in three adolescents and teens has prediabetes and the rate among 12 to 19 year-olds more than doubled between 1999–2002 and 2015–2018, jumping from 12 percent to 28 percent. 

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Common signs of prediabetes include fatigue, unexplained weight gain, darkened skin patches (especially on areas like the neck, armpits, or elbows), blurry vision, and increased hunger. These symptoms may seem minor or easy to overlook, but they can be early signals that your body is struggling with blood sugar regulation.

Fatigue often results from your cells not receiving enough energy due to insulin resistance. Unexplained weight gain, especially around the abdomen, is another sign, as excess glucose gets stored as fat when it's not used for energy. Darkened skin patches, a condition known as acanthosis nigricans, can appear as a direct result of insulin resistance and often serve as a visible warning sign. Blurry vision occurs when high blood sugar affects the lens of your eyes, while constant hunger is your body's cry for more energy because glucose isn't being effectively utilised.

The first step in addressing prediabetes is becoming aware of the triggers behind unhealthy habits, particularly stress-driven cravings. Understanding why you reach for comfort foods can help you interrupt the cycle and make more mindful choices. Stress is a major driver of unhealthy eating patterns, and managing it in healthy ways is essential to preventing prediabetes.

This means finding alternatives to emotional eating like taking a walk, meditating, journaling, or talking to a friend when stress strikes. Incorporating small, sustainable changes, such as opting for whole foods over processed snacks, staying active, and prioritising sleep, can significantly reduce your risk. Remember that every step toward managing stress and making healthier decisions is a step toward reversing the prediabetic stage and safeguarding your long-term health.

Ohona Anjum writes, rhymes, and studies English literature.