According to a recent poll, 18% of adults employed full-time in the US work more than 60 hours a week. Although these long hours may benefit pay packets, the same may not be said for heart health; a new study suggests long working hours may increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the US, killing around 600,000 people every year. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of the condition, responsible for around 380,000 of these deaths.
CHD occurs when plaque accumulates inside the coronary arteries - the arteries that supply the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. The plaque can harden or rupture over time, restricting or blocking blood flow. The heart muscle can then become weakened, leading to arrhythmias - irregular heart beats - and heart failure.
According to the research team, including senior author Dr. Yun-Chul Hong of the Medical Research Center and College of Medicine at Seoul National University in South Korea, past studies have linked long working hours to adverse health outcomes, such as hypertension,diabetes, sleep problems and poor psychological health.
"Working hours not only affect physical health outcomes, but also lifestyle conditions, such as dietary patterns, exercise, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption," the researchers note. "It is highly probable that cardiovascular diseases are affected by overtime work, because the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases are influenced by working hours."
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