High work stress can lead to weight gain in women: study

London: Do you gain weight suddenly? Researchers found that strong work pressures predisposed women to weight gain, whether or not they had a university education.

The findings, conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, have shown that a long-term exposure to high occupational demands only plays a role for women. In just over half of women with high demands, weight has increased significantly over the last 20 years.

This weight gain was about 20% higher than for women with low work demands. On the other hand, women and men with little control over their work have often gained considerable weight, defined as weight gain of 10% or more.

"We were able to find that the high demands of work played a role in women's weight gain, while for men, there was no badociation between high demands and weight gain. ", said senior author Sofia Klingberg, a researcher at the university.

"In terms of the level of work demands, only women have been affected. We have not investigated the underlying causes, but it is conceivable that this is a combination of work demands and the greater household responsibility that women often badume. It can make it hard to find the time to exercise and live a healthy life, "Klingberg added.

For the study, published in the journal International Archives of Occupational Health and the Environment, the team had 3,872 women and men who were investigated three times over a 20-year period. with respect to variables such as body weight, work requirements and control.

They were followed either between 30 and 50 years, or between 40 and 60 years. Efforts to reduce work-related stress would likely reduce not only weight gain, but also the impact of health problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the researchers said.