Marketers in the UK are most likely to turn to alcohol and comfort eating to help them deal with the stress of their occupations, according to a worrying new report from The Stroke Association.

The ‘Stroke in Business’ report highlights the high levels of stress felt across the marketing industry and the often unhealthy ways in which workers respond, potentially leading to serious health problems including increased risk of stroke.

It found that 71% of UK marketers feel stress as a result of work, with the most common ways of dealing with stress being to drink more (59%) and eat more (59%) – way and above the national average for workers.

Both are likely to lead to increased blood pressure, which in turn can increase the risk of serious health problems such as stroke, the third biggest killer in the UK.

There’s some good news however. Marketing professionals are the most likely workers to exercise (18%) to reduce its stress levels, higher then the national working average of 13%.

Some 71% of marketers interviewed said they regularly felt stressed making it one of the most stressful professions in the UK. It was beaten only by recruitment  (82%), the legal profession (78%) and education (73%).

Health (70%) finance (68%) and housewives (64%) also made the top ten.

The ways in which we choose to deal with stress can have a serious impact on our overall health, said Joe Korner, Director of External Affairs for The Stroke Association,.

“Stress clearly affects a great deal of the working population and while stress in itself is undesirable, responding to it in the wrong ways, for instance by drinking excessive alcohol, over-eating or smoking, can all lead to high blood pressure, which is the single biggest risk factor for stroke, “ he added.

The ‘Stroke in Business’ report was produced in association with Siemens.