A recent study has revealed that stress can add extra pound to already overweight persons. The present times are full of stress. Men and women have to face stress in every sphere of life. Everyone has to deal with lot of problems in personal as well professional life, which ultimately leads to stress.

The research team, led by Jason P. Block, MD, MPH, of Harvard, analyzed data collected from a nationally representative group of 1,355 men and women, from 1995 to
2004.

The researchers classified various stressful situations, which lead to weight gain under term "psychological stress". The study subjects, who already had higher body mass index (BMI), were more likely to gain weight due stressful situations, whereas thin people didn't show same increase in weight while facing same stressful situations.

The study showed that women gain extra pounds while facing stressful situations, like strained family relationships, job demands, difficulty with paying bills, and feeling limited by life's circumstances. Men are stressed by situations, such as job demands, lack of decision-making authority, difficulty paying bills, lack of skill discretion and the ability to learn new skills and perform interesting new duties, which leads to addition of extra pounds in weight.

Block says: "Our findings show that stress should be recognized as a threat to the well-being of American adults, especially those who area already overweight."