Overtime work may have financial rewards, but findings of a new study have revealed long hours at work may have serious consequences particularly to women.
Women Working Long Hours At Greater Risk For Diabetes
Researchers of the study published in the journal British Medical Journal Diabetes Research and Care on Monday found evidence suggesting that women who log too many hours at work are at greater risk of developing diabetes.
Study researcher Mahee Gilbert-Ouimet, from the University of Toronto, and colleagues found that women who worked at least 45 hours per week have 63 percent higher risk of developing diabetes compared with those who work between 35 and 40 hours per week.
The effect was slightly reduced when other factors, such as smoking, alcohol intake, exercise, and body mass index were taken into account.
"Working 45 hours or more per week was associated with an increased incidence of diabetes among women, but not men," the researchers concluded in their study.
How To Lower Risk For Diabetes
The researchers suggested that working more than 40 hours per week may lead to stress that can cause changes in the production of hormones such as cortisol, which is associated with sleep, poor mental health, and insulin resistance.
It is thus important for overworked and hardworking individuals to get quality sleep. Poor quality sleep paired with stress at work can raise risk for diabetes and obesity.
A 2015 study found that habitually sleeping past regular bedtime can impair the body's ability to regulate blood sugar. This could lead to reduced sensitivity to insulin and trigger the onset of diabetes.
Obesity and weight problems can also influence an individual's risk for diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, staying at a healthy weight can help prevent and manage prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
An earlier study showed that being overweight is a big risk factor that can influence the development of the lifestyle disease, and losing weight can help reduce diabetes risk.
"Weight loss was the dominant predictor of reduced diabetes incidence," study researcher Richard Hamman, from the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, and colleagues wrote in the study. "For every kilogram of weight loss, there was a 16% reduction in risk, adjusted for changes in diet and activity."
It is also important to engage in physical activity to help sustain weight loss. A sedentary lifestyle, such as sitting for long periods, can increase a person's risk for diabetes.
