Need further proof that chronic stress can lead to big health problems? Try coupling stress with poor food choices.

A new study shows that highly stressed people who eat high-fat, high-sugar diets have different metabolic responses than people who eat the same foods but face less stress.

These metabolic responses include higher blood pressure, increased body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels. Combined, these factors greatly increase a person’s risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Unrelated studies in animals have shown than fat cells grow faster in stressed-out animals when they consume junk food. Scientists think this same process is at work in the human body. Of the 61 women who were studied, 33 were chronically stressed as a result of caring for someone with dementia. The remaining 28 women were low-stress. Only among the high-stress women did researchers find larger waistlines, more fat around the abdomen, more insulin resistance and more oxidative damage to cells.

Scientists say there need to be better methods for helping people fight stress to keep it from negatively affecting their general health. Stress cannot be eliminated, but experts say we can prepare our bodies to have a positive response to negative stress.

Some well-known techniques for de-stressing include meditation and breathing exercises. Other practices, such as yoga and tai chi, can offer relief as well.

Of course, probably the simplest thing to do if you are facing a lot of stress is to combat it with healthy food. Since unhealthy food poses greater risks to people dealing with chronic stress, fight back with a balanced diet, fruits and veggies. Also, as easy — and stress-free — as it is to swing by a fast-food place for dinner, finding easy meals to make healthfully could lead to less stress in the long run.