Stress work is harmful to men's arteries

Research by Finnish scientists published in Psychosomatic Medicine shows that men in their early thirties who worked hard were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease early.

Researchers define stressful work as a job that requires a lot of employees, but gives them less time and independence to complete the task.

The study included 1,020 people (both male and female) involved in a continuous project to search for risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adults. The target group, on average 32 years old, answered questionnaires about their work conditions and received carotid artery ultrasound in the neck.

The results showed that men who worked at high stress levels had more early signs of narrowing arteries than others. Results, however, are not true for women.

New findings suggest that there may be an association between stressful work with atherosclerosis, a disease that damages blood circulation and leads to stroke or heart attack.

In general, male carotid arteries work at thicker high stress levels, a sign of atherosclerosis. The relationship is still true even when researchers consider factors such as smoking habits, weight, exercise levels and other effects on cardiovascular health.

The lead researcher, Dr. Liisa Keltikangas-Jarvinen (University of Helsinki), said it was unclear why stressful work could affect artery wall health.

She notes that the cause may be the direct effect of stress on the nervous system or may be other indirect reasons. For example, people with heavy work often have less exercise or a poorer diet.

Another question is the genetic inconsistency, as the results show that stressful work is not related to atherosclerosis in young women.

According to Ms. Keltikangas-Jarvinen, the effects of work on women's arteries may not be evident at this stage.

Keltikangas-Jarvinen writes: In general, men have atherosclerosis earlier than women. At this relatively young age, men can work more than men. There is evidence that women have reached the most demanding stage of work after men for several years. Therefore, if the study is repeated after 10 years, gene inconsistency may no longer exist.

( Reuters )