Health
As election nears, stress eating needs a sharp eye: 'It's destructive behavior'
The upcoming presidential election could lead to a lot of unwanted – and sometimes unhealthy – snacking.
Emotional eating can be a byproduct of stressful times, including political events, sports playoffs and other happenings, according to various studies.
Recent research published in the journal Nutrients indicated that emotional eating is considered a “critical risk factor for recurrent weight gain.”
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The findings suggest a link between emotional eating and health factors such as obesity, depression, anxiety and stress.
Identifying healthier coping mechanisms for negative emotions can help prevent dangerous outcomes, the researchers concluded.
Studies suggest that emotional eating is more prevalent in women, an expert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Los Angeles-based registered dietitian nutritionist Ilana Muhlstein said she often sees an uptick in emotional eating among her clients during stressful times.
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Having worked with private clients through three presidential election cycles, Muhlstein said there’s “always a spike in activity” before and after the election.
“People are watching the debates and watching the commentary on the couch, quickly eating their bag of chips or cookies, and it’s really destructive behavior,” she said.
A registered dietitian nutritionist confirmed that she sees an uptick in emotional eating among her clients during stressful times. (iStock)
Even during “nail-biting sports games,” people feel more inclined to mindlessly snack to “feel in control of the situation,” Muhlstein said.
“When we have these periods of unrest where it’s a situation of not knowing … that sense of limbo that can feel uneasy, people tend to confuse it with hunger,” she noted.
Emotional eating and weight loss
As a nutritionist, Muhlstein said emotional eating is one of the biggest factors she’s encountered with her clients who are struggling with their weight.
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“Until we get hold of the emotional eating, it’s really hard to lose the weight and even harder to keep it off,” she said.
Emotional eating is more prevalent in American culture than it is in other countries, according to Muhlstein, as many food companies have “pushed onto us … that food is going to be the thing that makes us feel better.”
Emotional eating is more prevalent in American culture than it is in other countries, said an expert. (iStock)
Indulging in not-so-healthy treats and sweets during happy occasions, like birthdays and other celebrations, doesn’t have the same negative long-term impact as eating to get through a negative situation.
“We want to have treats like cake or cookies to elevate a positive experience,” she said.
“If you have a slice [of cake] along with an overall healthy meal, you can still lose weight that week – you can still feel good in your body.”
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“If you got laid off, or got divorced, or are fighting with a best friend, or are watching the news and feeling stressed out, and you’re sitting there eating cake in a very rushed, unhappy way – in order to give you this short-term emotional relief and a hit of dopamine – I find that is what triggers a long-term, unhealthy relationship with food,” Muhlstein said.
Potential for addiction
Emotional eaters tend to eat foods that are higher in sugar and other fattening ingredients, Muhlstein said, which can have addictive properties.
The part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens will “fire up” and release dopamine when consuming processed foods that contain a balance of sugar, salt, fat and other artificial flavorings, the expert cautioned.
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“We see in loads of research that there is a connection between eating ultra-processed foods and these feel-good chemicals in our body,” she said.
“When we’re eating things like cookies that have no fiber … or we’re having lots of candy that’s just sugar, syrups, flavorings and dyes, it never really fills us up and never satisfies us.”
Sweets should “elevate a positive experience” to prevent unhealthy habits and emotional eating, the expert advised. (iStock)
Guilt can worsen emotional eating, Muhlstein added, as many people “beat themselves up” after eating unhealthy foods.
Studies have shown that people who feel guilty when they overeat have higher instances of emotional eating and are more likely to continue eating poorly.
How to curb emotional eating
Muhlstein encouraged people to “lose the shame or guilt” and try to have a positive outlook in regard to eating habits.
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“If you’re constantly telling yourself, ‘I’m a stress eater, I’m a stress eater, I’m a stress eater,’ then the next time you get stressed, you will likely go to food,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“If you tell yourself, ‘I’m so stressed, I really need a walk,’ or ‘When I’m stressed, I like to journal or do mindful practices like meditation or yoga,’ then you will slowly start to engage in those healthier stress management techniques.”
A simple way to prevent emotional eating is to keep high-sugar, high-fat, ultraprocessed foods out of the home.
A simple way to prevent emotional eating is to remove trigger foods from your home, experts recommend. (iStock)
“You want to set your environment up for success,” Muhlstein advised. “That way, when you are stressed, you don’t have those quick-fix foods that trigger you.”
Muhlstein also recommended using healthier coping mechanisms in high-stress situations, such as exercising, deep breathing and drinking plenty of water.
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A deadly, drug-resistant fungus already spreading rapidly through U.S. hospitals is becoming even more threatening worldwide, though there may be hope for new treatments, according to a new scientific review.
Candida auris (C. auris), often described as a “superbug fungus,” is spreading globally and increasingly resisting human immune systems, Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) researchers said in a review published in early December.
The findings reinforce prior CDC warnings that have labeled C. auris an “urgent antimicrobial threat” — the first fungal pathogen to receive that designation — as U.S. cases have surged, particularly in hospitals and long-term care centers.
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Approximately 7,000 cases were identified across dozens of U.S. states in 2025, according to the CDC, and it has reportedly been identified in at least 60 countries.
Candida auris is a drug-resistant fungus spreading in hospitals worldwide. (Nicolas Armer/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
The review, published in Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, helps explain why the pathogen is so difficult to contain and warns that outdated diagnostics and limited treatments lag behind. It was conducted by Dr. Neeraj Chauhan of the Hackensack Meridian CDI in New Jersey, Dr. Anuradha Chowdhary of the University of Delhi’s Medical Mycology Unit and Dr. Michail Lionakis, chief of the clinical mycology program at the National Institutes of Health.
Their findings stress the need to develop “novel antifungal agents with broad-spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, to improve diagnostic tests and to develop immune- and vaccine-based adjunct modalities for the treatment of high-risk patients,” the researchers said in a statement.
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“In addition, future efforts should focus on raising awareness about fungal disease through developing better surveillance mechanisms, especially in resource-poor countries,” they added. “All these developments should help improve the outcomes and prognosis of patients afflicted by opportunistic fungal infections.”
Candida auris can survive on skin and hospital surfaces, allowing it to spread easily. (iStock)
First identified in 2009 from a patient’s ear sample in Japan, C. auris has since spread to dozens of countries, including the U.S., where outbreaks have forced some hospital intensive care units to shut down, according to the researchers.
The fungus poses the greatest risk to people who are already critically ill, particularly those on ventilators or with weakened immune systems. Once infected, about half of patients may die, according to some estimates.
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Unlike many other fungi, C. auris can survive on human skin and cling to hospital surfaces and medical equipment, allowing it to spread easily in healthcare settings.
“It is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, and it tends to spread in hospital settings, including on equipment being used on immunocompromised and semi-immunocompromised patients, such as ventilators and catheters,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone, previously told Fox News Digital.
Scientists say the unique cell wall structure of C. auris makes it harder to kill. (iStock)
It is also frequently misdiagnosed, delaying treatment and infection control measures.
“Unfortunately, symptoms such as fever, chills and aches may be ubiquitous, and it can be mistaken for other infections,” Siegel said.
In September, he said intense research was ongoing to develop new treatments.
Only four major classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, and C. auris has already shown resistance to many of them. While three new antifungal drugs have been approved or are in late-stage trials, researchers warn that drug development has struggled to keep pace with the fungus’s evolution.
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Despite the sobering findings, there is still room for cautious optimism.
The fungus can cling to skin and hospital surfaces, aiding its spread. (iStock)
In separate research published in December, scientists at the University of Exeter in England discovered a potential weakness in C. auris while studying the fungus in a living-host model.
The team found that, during infection, the fungus activates specific genes to scavenge iron, a nutrient it needs to survive, according to their paper, published in the Nature portfolio journal Communications Biology in December.
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Because iron is essential for the pathogen, researchers believe drugs that block this process could eventually stop infections or even allow existing medications to be repurposed.
“We think our research may have revealed an Achilles’ heel in this lethal pathogen during active infection,” Dr. Hugh Gifford, a clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
New research is underway to develop better treatments and diagnostics for C. auris. (iStock)
As researchers race to better understand the fungus, officials warn that strict infection control, rapid detection and continued investment in new treatments remain critical.
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Health experts emphasize that C. auris is not a threat to healthy people.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the CDI researchers and additional experts for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Angelica Stabile contributed reporting.
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The New York State Department of Health reported a record surge in influenza activity, with 71,123 positive flu cases recorded statewide during the week ending December 20.
Health officials said the figure represents the highest number of flu cases ever reported in a single week since influenza became a reportable disease in New York in 2004.
State health data show the weekly total reflects a 38% increase from the previous reporting period, signaling a rapidly intensifying flu season.
There have been 189,312 reported positive flu cases so far this season, while influenza-related hospitalizations rose 63% in the most recent week.
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New York reported the highest weekly total of cases ever recorded since influenza became reportable in 2004. (iStock)
“We are seeing the highest number of flu cases ever recorded in a single week in New York state,” Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a press release.
There have been 189,312 reported flu cases so far this season, with influenza-related hospitalizations increasing 63% in the most recent week. (iStock)
Earlier this month, the department declared influenza prevalent statewide, a designation that requires unvaccinated health care workers to wear masks in patient care settings.
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Health officials continue to emphasize that vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent severe illness and hospitalization from influenza.
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New Yorkers who have not yet received a seasonal flu shot are still encouraged to do so, with experts saying vaccination can offer protection even later in the season.
Health officials continue to urge New Yorkers to take preventive steps, including vaccination and staying home when sick, to limit further spread. (iStock)
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To help limit further spread, the department advises individuals experiencing flu-like symptoms — including fever, cough, sore throat, or body aches — to stay home. State health officials also recommend frequent handwashing, using hand sanitizer, and avoiding close contact with sick individuals.
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For those who become ill, officials say antiviral medications are available and are most effective when started within 48 hours of symptom onset.
Health officials also added that people at higher risk for complications should contact a health care provider promptly for evaluation and possible treatment.
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The department noted that flu activity typically peaks in January, meaning case counts could continue to climb in the weeks ahead.
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