Job and Waistline

By Dr. Neli Stoyanova

Have you ever thought about how your job and waistline are connected? I bet you have not but this is about to change.

I am wondering how many of you really enjoy your jobs and how many of you despise them. Even if you like your job it can still be rather stressful. Right?

Is there any data supporting the job and waistline connection?

Yes!

A study conducted by Dr. Eric J. Brunner (Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal Free and University College London Medical School ) (American Journal of Epidemiology January 22, 2007) researched the correlation between job stress and obesity.

Their findings indicated that higher job related stress levels were connected to excess fat around the waist (remember the Big Bad Fat I was talking about?) which can lead to metabolic syndrome. The participants in the study were between 35 to 55 years old (6895 men and 3413 women) and all had reported job strain levels which included heavy demands, little decision-making power and little social support. The duration of the study was 19 years, which is a pretty impressive period of observation.

The study showed that both men and women who reported job strain on at least three occasions were 73 percent more likely to become obese and had a 61 percent chance to develop a big belly, which is a waistline greater than 35 inches (88cm) for women and 40 inches (102 cm) for men.

Factors that could link to obesity, such as socioeconomic status and tobacco use, was also taken into consideration but had little relevance.

What is amazing about this study is that it provides an evidence that high psychological workload and lack of social support at work act together as a causal factor for abdominal obesity, which is bad for you heart.

More importantly, it provides the evidence that job and waistline are related and that stress is the connection between the two.

The message is clear. If you have a particularly stressfull job or you hate your job- your heart can literally suffer. Why is it so important to underscore the job and waistline relation?

Because there is a growing body of evidence that big waistline is a predictor of heart risk, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

I can tell you- you don't want to have a big belly! Even if you think it is cute- it can still cost you many years off of your lifespan.

The great thing is that now that you know that your job and waistline are connected you can do something to prevent stress from getting a hold on you.

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