LONDON - People who have highly demanding jobs and little freedom to make
decisions are 23 per cent more likely to have a heart attack compared with
their less stressed out colleagues, according to research published on Friday.
But lighting up a cigarette or
remaining chained to your desk rather than getting out to do some exercise is
far more damaging for your heart health, researchers said.
A study of nearly 200,000 people
from seven European countries found around 3.4 per cent of heart attacks can be
attributed to job strain - a significant proportion, but far less than the 36
per cent attributable to smoking and 12 per cent put down to lack of exercise.
For the study, which was
published online in The Lancet medical journal, researchers analyzed job strain
in employees who had no previous coronary heart disease (CHD).
Participants completed
questionnaires about their job demands, workload, the level of time-pressure
demands, and their freedom to make decisions.
"Our findings indicate that
job strain is associated with a small, but consistent, increased risk of
experiencing a first CHD event such as a heart attack," said Mika Kivimaki
from University College London, who led the research.
Peter Weissberg, medical director
at the British Heart Foundation, said the findings confirmed that being under
stress at work and being unable to change the situation could increase the risk
of developing heart disease.
But he noted they also showed the
negative effects of workplace strain are much smaller than the damage caused by
smoking or lack of exercise.
"Though stresses at work may
be unavoidable, how you deal with these pressures is important, and lighting up
a cigarette is bad news for your heart," he said in an emailed comment.
"Eating a balanced diet,
taking regular exercise and quitting smoking will more than offset any risk
associated with your job."
Reuters
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