Researchers say chronic on-the-job stress may actually be bad for your health.

A research team from the University of Rochester Medical Center studied nearly 2,800 employees at a large manufacturing company in upstate New York for several years. During the study, the company went through a drastic restructuring and layoffs.

In interviews with employees, researchers were told that many were "stress eating" and burned out from "doing the work of five people."

Stressful working conditions are known to impact health behaviors directly and indirectly. Directly, stress can affect the neuroendocrine system, resulting in abdominal fat, for example, or it may cause a decrease in sex hormones, which often leads to weight gain. Indirectly stress is linked to the consumptions of too many fatty or sugary foods and inactivity.

Researchers say their study is among many that associate high job pressure with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, depression, exhaustion, anxiety and weight gain.

"In a poor economy, companies should take care of the people who survive layoffs and end up staying in stressful jobs," said lead researcher Dr. Diana Fernandez. "It is important to focus on strengthening wellness programs to provide good nutrition, ways to deal with job demands, and more opportunities for physical activity that are built into the regular workday without penalty."

The study found that exercise was the best way to manage stress and maintain a healthy weight.