Stress at work associated with metabolic syndrome

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new study shows that stress at work doubles the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Previous research has linked stress at work with heart disease. The association is further strengthened by a new study from researchers at University College London, who have looked at the effect of stress on the health of over 10,000 British civil servants, most of them male.

The researchers were interested in metabolic syndrome – a cluster of risk factors such as abdominal obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Work stress was measured four times during the 15 year study. Those with chronic work stress were twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome. An unhealthy lifestyle, marked by poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking and heavy alcohol use was also linked to metabolic syndrome. The researchers wonder if exposure to stress alters the nervous system, making metabolic syndrome more likely – maybe through the adoption of unhealthy behaviors.

Source
BMJ Online First 19th January 2006

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