Women who work long hours and have a significantly increased risk of diabetes

How does stress and hard work affect the risk of diabetes?

Unfortunately, diabetes is affecting more and more people around the world. Some lifestyle factors, such as our work hours, influence the likelihood of developing diabetes. Researchers have now found that women who work very long hours are at increased risk of developing diabetes.

Researchers at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto found that women aged 45 and older were at risk of developing diabetes. Hours of work per week present an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Doctors published the results of their study in the British journal "BMJ Diabetes Research & Care".

Long hours of work for men reduce the risk of diabetes

For their study, experts examined more than 7,065 workers aged 35 to 74 years. This research has now for the first time analyzed the impact of working hours on the risk of diabetes for both sexes. The results are amazing: working more than 45 hours a week reduces the risk of developing diabetes. But when women work 45 hours or more, the risk of developing diabetes increases by 63%. This is probably related to the fact that women still occupy the majority of the household outside of their working hours, explains the author of the study. Mahee Gilbert-Ouimet

Men do not help much in the household

The results could be the same for men if they held similar positions and would also have to do a lot of housework, explain the experts. Most men would be better paid and would tend to hold higher positions, but they do not help much in the household, the doctor adds. Gilbert-Ouimet added. Such results were to be expected because women still take twice as much responsibility for the family as men, the researcher continues. Better salaries and work positions could help reduce the risk of diabetes for women. In particular, if husbands then helped more in the household.

439 million people with diabetes in 2030

Worldwide, the rate of adult diabetes is expected to increase by about 50 percent to 439 million in 2030. There is urgent need to develop effective measures to prevent diabetes. The risk of diabetes could also be due to stress reducing insulin resistance.

Participants were divided into different groups

Subjects were divided into four groups according to weekly hours of work including unpaid hours. Group members were assigned group work hours of 15 to 34 hours, 35 to 40 hours, 41 to 44 hours and 45 hours or more. The researchers also included factors such as age, sex, race, marital status, children, location, activity, physical activity, type of work, health problems and lifestyle factors

. Percentage of subjects with type 2 diabetes. Men, overweight people and the elderly accounted for most of the diagnoses. However, male diagnoses were rarely due to work. When men worked longer, they were more likely to be at risk for diabetes.

More research is needed

When women work 45 hours or more a week, the odds of developing diabetes are 63% higher than those of women who worked only 35 to 40 hours a week . However, this percentage decreased when doctors analyzed a high volume of alcohol among overweight women, smokers and consumers. Nevertheless, the risk remained significantly high (45%). Further research is underway to determine whether working longer in conjunction with housework can make women drink more, smoke and eat too much, which can make their risk worse. Gilbert-Ouimet. (As)