Stress is an unavoidable part of life, and while it often carries a negative connotation, it is actually a fundamental survival mechanism. When faced with a perceived threat, whether physical or emotional, the body instinctively reacts to protect itself. This automatic response is commonly known as the "fight, flight, or freeze" response. While it serves an essential function in dangerous situations, chronic activation of this response due to daily stressors can have significant consequences for mental and physical health.

The body’s response to stress is rooted in human evolution. When our ancestors encountered a predator, their nervous systems immediately prepared them to either confront the threat (fight), escape to safety (flight), or become still and unnoticed (freeze). While modern-day stressors may not include wild animals, our nervous system reacts similarly to job pressures, financial worries, or social conflicts.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, stress is the body's response to change, activating a physiological reaction that helps us adapt and protect ourselves. While short-term stress can be beneficial, prolonged exposure can lead to an overactive stress response, negatively impacting overall well-being.

The Three Stress Responses: Fight, Flight, and Freeze

1. Fight

The fight response prepares the body for direct action. When triggered, the nervous system releases adrenaline, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. While this reaction once helped early humans fend off predators, today it manifests as irritability, frustration, or aggression.

For instance, the employee who has experienced too much workload may work extremely long hours just to succeed. In short term, the action may produce good results but mostly ends in burnout, anxiety, and physical illness, for example, tension headache or digestion problems.

2. Fight

The flight response triggers an intense need to remove oneself from a stressful situation. Just as our ancestors would flee from danger, modern individuals may avoid conflict, quit jobs impulsively, or detach from relationships when overwhelmed.

Flight mode is linked with restlessness and anxiety. Individuals may have a sense of needing to get up and go-pacing, changing environments constantly, or avoiding tasks that seem too overwhelming. Someone with a flight response might have the desire to change jobs constantly, relocate constantly, or become reclusive in order to avoid perceived dangers.

3. Freeze

The freeze response occurs when the nervous system perceives a threat as too overwhelming to fight or flee. Rather than taking action, individuals shut down, feeling numb, disconnected, or paralyzed by fear.

Unlike fight or flight, which involve heightened activation, freeze mode slows down physiological functions. A person experiencing freeze mode may feel physically unable to move, struggle to make decisions, or find themselves dissociating from their emotions. This can manifest in situations such as public speaking anxiety, where someone might "blank out" or feel stuck in the moment.

What Happens in the Body During A Stressful Event?

When faced with a stressor, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activates, triggering physiological changes, including:

• Increased heart rate and breathing: The body pumps more oxygen to muscles and the brain in case action is needed.
• Muscle tension: The body prepares for movement, sometimes causing trembling or stiffness.
• Dilated pupils: Vision sharpens to detect potential threats.
• Dry mouth: Saliva production decreases as the body redirects energy to essential functions.
• Changes in skin tone: Blood flow is directed to vital organs, sometimes making the skin appear pale or flushed.

For those experiencing the freeze response, the body undergoes a different reaction, often reducing heart rate and causing physical immobility rather than heightened activation.

Strategies for Coping and Managing the Stress Response

While the stress response is necessary for survival, frequent activation due to daily stressors can take a toll on health. Recognizing your default response—whether fight, flight, or freeze—can help in developing effective coping mechanisms.

1. Moving to a Safe Space

If possible, changing your environment can help signal to your brain that the threat has passed. Stepping outside for fresh air, finding a quiet place, or distancing yourself from overwhelming stimuli can help regulate emotions.

2. Practicing Controlled Breathing

Deep, slow breathing can be used to counteract the stress response by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation. Techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing or the 4-7-8 method (inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight) can be particularly effective in calming the body.

3. Engaging in Physical Activity

This helps release pent-up energy and aids in the endorphin cascade, natural boosters for our mood.

4. Seeking Social Support

Relieving oneself from stress can come in many ways, but sharing it with trusted friends, a family member, or a good therapist will sure give that psychological boost of hope. Social support is an especially effective way of cushioning people against the stressors that they are subjected to in chronic forms.

When to Seek Professional Help

While occasional stress is normal, chronic activation of the fight, flight, or freeze response can indicate underlying mental health concerns, such as anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If stress is affecting daily life—leading to sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, or persistent feelings of fear—it may be time to consult a mental health professional.

A new oral GLP-1 medication has delivered encouraging results in a Phase 2b clinical trial for people living with type 2 diabetes.

According to AstraZeneca, its experimental tablet, elecoglipron, significantly lowered blood sugar levels and helped participants lose an average of 10.5% of their body weight after 26 weeks of treatment.

The findings were presented at the 2026 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans and published in The Lancet on June 8.

Elecoglipron joins a growing wave of GLP-1 therapies being developed as pills, offering an alternative to injectable drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro.

The first oral GLP-1 treatment, Rybelsus from Novo Nordisk, received FDA approval in 2019 for adults with type 2 diabetes. Since then, oral options have continued to expand. In December 2025, the FDA approved a tablet version of Wegovy for weight management, while Eli Lilly’s oral obesity treatment, Foundayo, gained approval in April.

Independent experts say AstraZeneca’s results highlight the growing potential of non-injectable GLP-1 therapies for both diabetes and obesity treatment.

“It’s encouraging to see another oral medication demonstrating the benefits of GLP-1 therapy without requiring injections,” said Dr. Pouya Shafipour, a family and obesity medicine specialist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California.

Dr. Marilyn Tan, an endocrinologist and professor of medicine at Stanford University, noted that the rapidly expanding GLP-1 market could soon welcome another oral treatment option if elecoglipron succeeds in Phase 3 trials and ultimately secures FDA approval.

How Does GLP-1 Drug Work?

GLP-1 is a natural hormone produced in the intestines that regulates blood sugar, appetite, and digestion. Now, every time you eat, your body produces various hormones, including GLP-1. These are called post-nutrition hormones, and they help you absorb the energy you just consumed.

GLP-1 travels to your pancreas, prompting it to produce insulin. It also travels to the hypothalamus in your brain, which gives you the feeling of being full or satiated. GLP-1 pills imitate that hormone, thereby silencing the food chatter in the brain. Interestingly, for some people, this food chatter is really quiet, and for others it is an outburst. So with GLP-1, silencing this self-talk in the brain, people tend to lose their appetite and eventually weight.

However, it is important to note that losing weight includes not just fat but muscle as well. Losing too much muscle can lead to reduced strength and a shorter life span. Notably, records show that most people who start taking them stop them at 12 weeks; therefore, it is important for some but not for others.

What Are The Side Effects?

The side effects of these pills include:

• Nausea is a frequent side effect, especially when starting or increasing the dose, and vomiting may occur along with nausea.
• Diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort also show up.
• It can reduce appetite but may also lead to unintended weight loss or reduced food intake, causing discomfort for some people.
• There are certain less common, but serious side effects, like Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas.
• This drug may also cause severe kidney issues, particularly if dehydration occurs from side effects like vomiting or diarrhoea.

The most frustrating skincare experience is breaking out a week after using a new product. Niacinamide serum is the most common one that people blame when it happens. But the real question is: does Niacinamide cause purging? The answer is no, but understanding what happens in your skin when you introduce it can help you.

A well-formulated Niacinamide Serum at the right concentration is very gentle on the skin.

And pairing it with a Niacinamide Moisturizer helps your skin adjust if you are using it for the first time.

What Is Skin Purging and How Is It Different from Breakouts

Skin purging is the result of an active ingredient accelerating your skin's natural cell turnover cycle. Your skin renews itself every 28 days. Retinol, AHAs, and BHAs speed up this process, which pushes microcomedones, trapped sebum, and dead cell buildup up to the surface faster.

Your skin may appear like it is experiencing a sudden flare-up of pimples, but it is your skin clearing all the buildup in one go. True purging:

• Happens only with ingredients that increase cell turnover
• Appears in the same areas you normally break out
• Resolves within four to six weeks
• Involves small whiteheads and blackheads rather than deep cysts

A regular breakout appears in new areas with any product and does not follow the same predictable timeline. Understanding this difference is important before you blame any ingredient.

Does Niacinamide Cause Purging?

Dermatologists say no, and the reason comes down to how niacinamide works at the biological level. Purging occurs only when an ingredient accelerates cellular turnover, forcing the skin to shed faster to clear hidden congestion.

Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3, and its action is fundamentally different. It works in the following manner:

• Regulates sebum production through the sebaceous glands
• Strengthens the skin barrier by supporting ceramide production
• Niacinamide reduces redness and inflammation caused by acne
• Stops the transfer of melanin so that pigmentation reduces

Why Niacinamide Is Less Likely to Trigger Purging

No Cell Turnover Acceleration

Can niacinamide cause purging? Purging occurs when the old skin cells are shed, and new ones form at a faster pace. Niacinamide has no effect on this process. It works on controlling oil and improving barrier function. It does not work on exfoliation or renewal rate. There is no mechanism through which Niacinamide could cause purging without accelerating cell turnover.

Regulates Sebum, Doesn't Exfoliate

Niacinamide signals the sebaceous glands to produce less oil over time, whereas salicylic acid dissolves the sebum inside pores, and AHAs dissolve the bonds between dead skin cells. It reduces the congestion that leads to breakouts. Niacinamide for pimples works by calming the conditions that create them.

Reduces Inflammation Instead

The anti-inflammatory action of Niacinamide calms the redness and swelling around active breakouts. So, does niacinamide cause pimples? Its inflammation-reducing properties make it the safest active for acne-prone skin, which you can introduce at any concentration between 5% and 12%.

What Could Actually Be Causing Your Purging

If you started a niacinamide product and broke out, here are the more likely reasons for it.

New Product Adjustment

Any new skincare product can cause a temporary adjustment period as your skin gets used to a new formula or ingredients. This is not purging, but your skin reacting to change. It settles within one to two weeks if the formula is compatible with your skin.

Reaction to Other Formula Ingredients

Many niacinamide serums contain additional actives, such as AHAs, BHAs, Retinol, or exfoliating enzymes, which increase cell turnover in your skin. If your Niacinamide serum contains these ingredients as well, the purging may result from them. So, always check the full ingredient list before blaming a reaction on any single ingredient.

Wrong Concentration for Your Skin

Using a 20% Niacinamide formula directly when your skin has never used actives before can cause irritation that looks like a breakout. It's your skin reacting to a concentration that it is not ready for. A safe way is to start between 5% and 10% and build up slowly to prevent flare-ups.

How to Add Niacinamide Properly to Your Skincare Routine

The chances of a reaction reduce a lot when you introduce Niacinamide correctly.

1. Patch test first: Take a small amount and apply it to your inner arm or jawline, and observe for any reaction in the next 24 hours before using it on your full face. Gentle ingredients can react differently on certain skin types, so you must do a patch test.

2. Start at a lower concentration: 5% to 10% is the best starting point if you are a beginner. Give your skin four weeks at this level before going with anything stronger.

3. Introduce one product at a time: If you add multiple new products all at once, you will never know which one is causing a reaction. Add Niacinamide on its own first and give it two to three weeks before introducing other active ingredients.

4. Apply after washing your face: Niacinamide works best when the skin is fresh. Apply it after your face wash and before your moisturizer so that it absorbs better into the skin.

5. Be consistent: The oil-regulating and pore-refining benefits of Niacinamide show only after four to eight weeks of daily use. So, you may not get the results if you stop using it abruptly because of an unrelated reaction.

Conclusion

If you are still wondering, does niacinamide cause purging? It does not. An increase in cell turnover results in purging, and Niacinamide does not work that way. The main reasons for breakouts can be your skin trying to adjust to a new product or another active ingredient in the formula. Higher concentrations can also be tough for your skin to tolerate, which may result in breakouts.

Researchers have found that up to 25 per cent more adults could be classified as obese, even if their body mass index (BMI) score falls under the normal category. As per the current rules, a BMI score of 18.5 to 25 is considered healthy, 25–29 is overweight, and 30 onwards is considered obese. Obesity can contribute to a long-term risk of serious illness, but according to an international team of experts, BMI may not be the most reliable measure for ascertaining obesity levels in an individual.

Why is BMI not a reliable parameter?

Researchers have found that adding the weight-to-height ratio and waist circumference could be a good way to ascertain unhealthy body fat levels. Fat, according to scientists, builds up in people who are not considered overweight or obese under the current rules, depending on where it is stored. Older bodies have a higher fat build-up around the waist, which, when combined with loss of muscle mass, means that there is no change in total weight. This means that the fat that accumulates, known as "skinny fat," does not always raise an alarm.

The new study from scientists at the University of Southern California analysed data from 5,642 adults in the US and discovered that a quarter of them had a normal BMI but actually met the obesity criteria. Furthermore, over 50 per cent of overweight people, according to their BMI, also met the updated obesity criteria. These findings, according to experts, suggest that millions of Americans with obesity-related health complications could be missing much-needed health interventions.

BMI is problematic because it does not evaluate body fat but reflects total body weight, including muscle and bone. Therefore, a muscular person is likely to have a high BMI but not much fat. However, a person with a normal BMI can have excess body fat, which can lead to complications later. The good news, experts say, is that these obesity-related issues can be addressed. Either lifestyle changes, medication, or both can be effective in reducing body fat levels and lowering the risk of future health problems. The sooner it is diagnosed, the better it is for long-term well-being.

Read more: Why 'Normal Weight' Doesn’t Always Mean Healthy

Does obesity risk increase with age?

Researchers estimate that 30 per cent of adults living in England aged 16 years and above are obese. This increases with age, with over 35 per cent of people aged 55 to 74 years living with obesity. Under the new rules, obesity would be defined as a BMI of 30 and above, or at least one elevated measure, such as a high waist circumference, a high waist-to-height ratio, or a BMI of 40 and above. Researchers have labelled these obesity subtypes as BMI-plus-anthropometric obesity.

What is an unhealthy waist circumference?

According to the NHS, an unhealthy waist circumference is 37 inches in men and 31.5 inches or above in women. An unhealthy waist-to-height ratio occurs when the waist circumference is half or more of a person's height. According to the British Heart Foundation, BMI is calculated by dividing weight by height squared. There are multiple BMI calculators available online. It is classified as follows:

1. Underweight – below 18.5
2. Healthy weight – 18.5 to 24.9
3. Overweight – 25 to 29.9
4. Obese – 30 and above

If BMI is in the overweight category, it is linked with a heightened risk of heart disease and incidents such as stroke or heart attack. If it falls within the obese category, the risks are higher. Underweight people are not exempt from risk, as they have a greater likelihood of developing long-term health problems.