Did you know? Working in a team can increase the risk of heart disease

Beijing: A Chinese study of more than 300,000 people reveals that people who work in shifts are at increased risk for heart disease and this risk increases with the number of years of shift work.

Shift work "can pay more, but it can also affect the health of employees, so employers should reduce shift work as much as possible," said author Weihong Chen, researcher in occupational health and environment. at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, reportedly quoted during the health day.

Although the reason for this is unknown, disruption of the normal sleep-wake cycle may increase stress. In the study, published in Occupational Medicine, the team badyzed data from 21 previous studies involving more than 320,000 people and nearly 20,000 cases of coronary heart disease.

The study was not designed to prove the causes and effects, but the data showed that shiftworkers were 13% more likely to develop coronary artery disease than day workers. The report states that for every year of shift work, the risk of coronary heart disease increases by almost 1%.

According to Weihong, employers should pay special attention to staff members with symptoms of heart problems as well as those with a family history of heart disease. Employers could promote health, for example by telling them how to prevent and fight ischemic heart disease, she said. Companies could also consider offering health checkups to detect early signs of heart problems, Weihong said.