Job stress can double the risk of heart disease
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Work could be bad for your health – and getting there may be damaging too.
Work could be bad for your health – and getting there may be damaging too.
One of the longest studies of the effects of stress at work has shown that it doubles the risk of dying from heart disease. A separate study of traffic pollution has shown that it increases the risk as well.
Researchers in Finland studied 812 factory workers for 25 years measuring their weight, blood pressure, cholesterol level and stress.
Their findings, published in the British Medical Journal, found that high job strain – defined as work which imposed heavy demands over which the workers had little control – was linked with a doubling of the risk of a fatal heart attack.
Workers who felt under pressure to make great efforts for little reward were also at twice the risk. High job stress was also associated with increased cholesterol and weight gain.
The authors, Mika Kivimaki and colleagues from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, say that traditional advice to people to stop smoking, eat less fat and take more exercise should be supplemented by seeking ways to prevent work stress.
Meanwhile, researchers from the Netherlands who studied 5,000 people aged 55-69 over eight years found there was a 34 per cent increased risk of dying from heart or respiratory disease for those living in areas of high pollution.
This risk rose, according to results published in The Lancet, to 95 per cent among those who lived near a major road.
A second study in the journal by researchers in Dublin found that reducing air pollution reduced deaths from lung cancer by 15 per cent.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments