Long hours of work affect health risks

Weekly working time, according to one study, has implications for the risk of developing diabetes – for men and women very differently.

Long weekly working hours increase the risk for women. In men, however, the opposite effect has been observed. The study was published in the journal BMJ Diabetes Research & Care. Quebec sociologists analyzed the health data of more than 7,000 Canadian workers over a twelve-year period.

Ten percent of subjects developed diabetes during the observation period. The researchers found that women who worked 45 hours or more a week were much more likely to develop diabetes than women who worked 35 to 40 hours a week.

In men, however, the opposite was obviously the case. According to the study, the risk of diabetes decreased slightly as weekly working hours increased.

The researchers point out that their study provides only a first indication of the possible links between long hours of work and an increased risk of diabetes.

This message was posted on 04.07.2018 in the program Deutschlandfunk.