
Study shows workaholics could suffer increased risk.
Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas, are announcing a new study that shows evidence that long hours at work will increase your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a story on UPI.
For full-time employees, the risk of having a problem with angina, coronary artery disease, heart failure, heart attack, high blood pressure, or stroke increased by one percent for each additional hour worked over 10 years or more. After 46 hours per week, the likelihood of having cardiovascular issues was even greater. Those working 55 hours per week were at a 16 percent higher than their colleagues working at a pace of 45 hours per week, and those averaging 60 hours per week were 35 percent more likely.
The research team examined data from over 1,900 participants in a long-term study to make their analysis, and they noted the findings did not apply to those working in part time jobs.
Study Sadie Conway, from the Texas Health Center, said. “This study provides specific evidence on long work hours and an increase [in] the risk of CVD, thereby providing a foundation for CVD prevention efforts focused on work schedule practices, which may reduce the risk of CVD for millions of working Americans,” in a news release.
The study used self-reported data to determine the number of hours worked in the previous year, including information about the number of jobs worked, the average hours of work per week, the amount of overtime worked per week, and the number of weeks of missed work due to things such as illness, vacation, strike, or unemployment or layoffs.
The total number of hours worked was divided by 50 weeks to calculate the total number of work hours per week on all jobs. The data included employees from all types of work and economic backgrounds.
The aim of the study was to examine the presence of a relationship between work hours and CVD, according to the study authors, and the findings were published in the March issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
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