Only overwork dying young

Only overwork dying young - Billy Joel was on to something. As the singer suggested in "Movin 'Out" working too hard can really give you a "heart-DCA crisis ..." And, as a recent study has also shown, stroke can be an even bigger problem than to a heart attack in people who are overworked. 

For the study, researchers at University College London compile data on the relationship between working hours and the risk of heart attack by more than 600,000 workers, and similar data on the risk of stroke more than 500,000 workers.

They adjusted their data to compensate for differences due to health behaviors of individual workers, such as smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity, and also adjusted for the presence of other cardiac risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

They found that those who worked more than 55 hours per week had an increased risk of suffering a heart attack by 13% and were 33% more likely to suffer a stroke compared to those who have worked 35-40 hours a week.

The high risk of heart attack with more hours of work was only seen among workers with low socio-economic status. The risk of heart attack in high-wage workers who worked long hours was similar to that of high-wage workers who had normal working hours. The risk of stroke was higher among those who worked long hours, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Why overwork and cardiovascular risk are related is not entirely clear. Hormonal factors, such as high levels of hormones "stress" such as cortisol and adrenaline, may be involved. Overwork and stress at work are also associated with many cardiac risk factors.

Those who work long hours tend to have unhealthy lifestyles, with less exercise, the worst regimes, and increased consumption of alcohol and snuff. Type 2 diabetes is more common among workers with low socioeconomic status who work long hours, but not workers with a high socioeconomic level working similar hours.

Metabolic syndrome, a set of cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol, high blood sugar and abdominal obesity "apple shape", is associated with a stressful job.

Death from overwork in Asia

In more developed countries, overdrive is not considered a public health problem. However, death from overwork is quite common in Japan there is a word for it: karoshi. Japanese, or employee, company workers have a tradition of job security for life. 

Unfortunately for them, the decline is expected to enter additional long hours without pay. The work addiction is so bad that the Japanese government has considered imposing a mandatory annual leave of five days. 

In China, death from overwork, known as guolaosi name, is also said to be widespread. A tobacco epidemic is probably a major contributing factor; 63% of middle-aged men in East Asia are regular smokers.

Staying healthy at work 

A number of strategies can help you avoid work habits that are bad for your health:

     *  Eat well and avoid "tension".
     *  Avoid sugary drinks and salty snacks in vending machines; bring a lot of nuts, fruits and vegetables of the house instead.

     *  Integrating physical activity into your workflow: hurry up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or walking in an office colleagues for a while face rather than an email exchange.

     *  Prolonged sitting is associated with increased mortality from any cause; try to work whenever possible.

     * Joke; the mood is associated with better cardiovascular health and increased labor productivity.
     *  Make sure your major cardiac risk factors such as pressure and sugar levels in the blood and blood cholesterol are under good control. 

And if you're the boss, remember that a low stress, positive work environment is not only good for the health of employees, it is also good for business.
By: John Ross, MD,FIDSA