People who are affected by work stress are more likely to experience poor cardiovascular health, according to a new study.
- People who experienced occupational stress were more likely to have unfavorable measures of cardiovascular health.
- 20% of study participants admitted to feeling stress at work.
- Researchers call for further studies to understand the mechanisms at play in the association between professional stress and increased cardiovascular risks.
Long working hours, large numbers of projects, objectives to achieve, frustration, lack of recognition, conflicting relationships with bosses or colleagues… sources of stress are significant in the office. Moreover, in a survey conducted by ADP in 2022almost two thirds of French employees (64%) admitted to being confronted with it at least once a week.
But what is the weight of professional stress on cardiovascular health? American researchers managed to evaluate it and published their conclusions in the journal Journal of the American Heart AssociationNovember 6, 2024.
Professional stress: increased risk of cardiovascular diseases
To determine whether these professional tensions and pressures could impact the heart, the team studied the medical records of 3,579 people aged 45 to 84 who participated in a study on atherosclerosis between 2000 and 2002. The level of stress linked participants’ employment was assessed through a questionnaire and their cardiovascular health by the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 measures (smoking, physical activity, BMI, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar).
20% of respondents indicated that they suffered from professional stress. Analyzes of the data collected show that these employees, anxious about their work, were respectively 25% and 27% less likely to have average (9 to 10 points) and optimal (11 to 14 points) cardiovascular health scores compared to those not facing stress at the office. However, these notes predict the functioning of the cardiac system. So, in other words, they were more likely to experience heart problems and develop cardiovascular disease later.
Cardiovascular health: we must prevent stress at work
The authors of the study conclude that work-related stress is indeed associated with an increased risk of poor cardiovascular health. They add that “These findings highlight the importance of psychological well-being in the workplace and suggest the need for studies of interventions that can reduce work-related stress and promote cardiovascular health”.
“To address the public health issue of work-related stress and its adverse effects on cardiovascular health, future research should prioritize the use of longitudinal studies to identify the mechanisms underlying this association”say first author Dr. Oluseye Ogunmoroti of Emory University and lead author Dr. Erin Michos of Johns Hopkins University in a press release.
