Ladies, be careful of that extra scoop of stuffing or slice of peppermint pie.

Nearly half of all women in the United States suffer from increased stress during the holidays, a condition that contributes to rising levels of comfort eating, drinking and other coping mechanisms that can lead to weight gain, according to a survey conducted in October by the American Psychological Association.

A national stress survey the association conducted in January showed one in four people in the United States agrees that "when I am feeling down or facing a problem, I turn to food to help me feel better." The October survey showed that the proportion increases to one in three people during the holidays.

Comfort eating and unhealthy drinking increases among men too, but is more common among women.

Forty-one percent of women in the survey agreed that they eat for comfort during the holidays, compared with 31 percent during the rest of the year. Among men, 25 percent report holiday-season comfort eating, compared with 19 percent during the year, according to the survey.

Others may not even notice gaining weight, said Russ Newman, the association's executive director for professional practice.

"This time of year everyone is bundled up, so you don't really realize it until springtime when you have to pull out the T-shirts, the tank tops and that sort of thing," Fujiwara said.

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