How Do You Get Diabetes? Four Lesser-Known Causes

4. Emotional stress can feed diabetes. 

People who have experienced at least one major unhappy event, like serious financial troubles, divorce, or bereavement, are more likely to develop diabetes within the next five years, according to some research. Depression, anger, anxiety, and sleeping problems are all associated with diabetes, too. Stress raises your level of the hormone cortisol, which can influence the liver to produce too much blood sugar. Also, stressed people are more likely to gain weight, eat poorly, and skip exercise.

When you’re stressed the last thing you want to hear from your doctor is that you need to lose weight — or you’ll get sick. But don’t ignore this advice. Over time, uncontrolled high blood sugar can lead to damaged eyes.

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