Work really can kill you, according to a recent study providing the strongest evidence yet of how on-the-job stress raises the risk of heart disease by disrupting the body's internal systems.
The findings suggest stress-induced biological changes may play a more direct role than previously thought.
"This is the first large-scale population study looking at the effects of stress measured from everyday working life on heart disease," said Tarani Chandola, who led the study. "One of the problems is people have been sceptical whether work stress really affects a person biologically."
Heart disease is the world's leading cause of death. It is caused by fatty deposits that harden and block arteries, high blood pressure which damages blood vessels, and other factors.
The team found chronically stressed workers had a 68 percent higher risk of developing heart disease with younger people, those under 50, being most at risk.
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"This study adds to the evidence that the work stress-coronary heart disease association is causal in nature," the researchers wrote in the European Heart Journal.
Contributing factors
Behaviour and biological changes likely explain why stress at work causes heart disease, Chandola said. For one, stressed workers eat unhealthy food, smoke, drink and skip exercise — all behaviours linked to heart disease.
In the study, stressed workers also had lowered heart rate variability — a sign of a poorly-functioning weak heart — and higher-than-normal levels of cortisol, a "stress" hormone that provides a burst of energy for a fight-or-flight response.
"Too much cortisol circulating in the blood stream can damage blood vessels and the heart," Chandola said.
"If you are constantly stressed out these biological stress systems become abnormal."
Reducing stress
"The study also reinforces what has been identified by previous research, that stress at work is often associated with unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, lack of exercise and a poor diet — all which can impact on heart health," said June Davison, a cardiac at the British Heart Foundation.
"There are many ways that we can help ourselves by learning how to cope with stressful situations. Keeping fit and active also helps to relieve stress and therefore reduce the risk of heart disease."
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