Stress at work 'harming hearts'
Are you suffering stress at work? Then you may be at risk of a heart attack, say scientists.
A University College London study - published in the European Heart Journal - of more than 10,000 UK civil servants found that the risk of heart disease was almost 70 percent higher in under-50s who had high levels of work stress compared with those who were not stressed.
While younger workers seemed to be more at risk, the findings were the same regardless of the status of the worker. The link was more pronounced among male employees than females, and less evident as employees reached retirement age and were less bothered by work stress.
The researchers found that the stressed civil servants were less able to eat properly and do exercise because of time constraints, and displayed signs of considerable biochemical changes. Stress appears to upset the part of the nervous system which regulates how the heart works - how well it beats - and nearly all of the anxious civil servants had elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
But the NHS Knowledge Service, which examines the science behind the headlines, said that the study had several limitations such as: "The actual size of risk from stress was less than the risk from other, well-established risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels."
Learn how to Beat Work Stress from the website NHS Choices.
Get advice about work-related stress from the Health and Safety Executive.
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