Researchers Find Stress Raises Blood Sugar, Especially in Insulin-Resistant Individuals

The study recruited 116 adults aged 18–78, split into 62 insulin-resistant (IR, HOMA-IR >2.5) and 54 insulin-sensitive (IS) groups. After baseline mood questionnaires, participants wore continuous glucose monitors for 7 days and used ambulatory apps to log daily stress and emotions over 3 days. Linear mixed-effects models analyzed how stress predicted glucose changes, accounting for time of day and individual differences.

Stress levels felt similar across groups, but its impact differed sharply. In IR individuals, higher daily stress correlated positively with elevated blood glucose, pushing levels up significantly and risking progression to diabetes. Even IS participants saw negative metabolic shifts, though milder. Stress didn't vary by group, but its glucose-elevating punch hit IR folks hardest—confirming vulnerability in pre-diabetic states.

These real-time insights highlight stress as a modifiable diabetes trigger. Simple interventions like mindfulness or exercise could blunt these spikes, preventing full-blown disease. Ambulatory monitoring emerges as a powerful tool for spotting at-risk people and testing therapies.

The study calls for integrated stress management in diabetes prevention, especially for insulin-resistant adults. By tackling tension head-on, we might halt the metabolic domino effect before it topples into chronic illness.

REFERENCE: Schrems E, Gruber JR, Schiweck C, Ruf A, Reif A, Goldbach R, Edwin Thanarajah S, Matura S. Daily life stress is linked to increased glucose levels in individuals with insulin resistance: a real-world assessment. Diabetologia. 2025 Dec;68(12):2709-2718. doi: 10.1007/s00125-025-06552-x. Epub 2025 Oct 11. PMID: 41076451; PMCID: PMC12594686.