Stress is bad. Like, really bad. We definitely love jumping on the Stress-Free bandwagon, but it is all for a good reason. Apparently, stress is just as bad for you as an unhealthy diet.

Stress is as Bad as an Unhealthy Diet

According to a new study out of Brigham Young University in Utah, stress can affect you much like an unhealthy diet does.

In the study, the researchers exposed mice to stress. After the stress exposure, they reviewed the gut microbiota in the mice. They found that the microbiota behaved as if the mice had been eating a high-fat diet, though they were not.

The microbiota are microorganisms that are essential to the processes of digestion and metabolism.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this study is that these changes were especially true in female mice. This makes it a larger discussion about how stress affects females, in particular.

How Stress Affects Each Gender

The study separated both male and female mice into two groups. The first group consumed a high-fat diet and the second group did not. Both groups experienced stress over the course of the study.

At the end of the study, researchers collected the feces of the mice in order to examine the gut microbiota. They measured anxiety levels of the mice, as well.

They found some pretty big differences in stress and anxiety between the genders.

First, the male mice that consumed the high-fat diet demonstrated more anxiety than their female counterparts. These same high-fat males also demonstrated decreased movement in response to stress.

The female mice, however, demonstrated significant changes in their microbiota. The low-fat female mice, in particular, seemed to imitate the microbiota of the mice that consumed a high-fat diet.

While this study is limited to mice, it shows that stress can greatly affect overall health. It can even trick your body into behaving as if it were eating an unhealthy diet!

So find some ways to de-stress and relax each day. Your body will thank you!