Work Stress Increases Type 2 Diabetes Risk by 45%

Individuals who are in a high pressure work environment or have little perceived control over work activities have a 45% higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

Researchers studied 5300 employed individuals (age 29-66) who did not have diabetes at the start of the study. Over the 13-year study, 300 were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
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Independent of classic risk factors including obesity, age, and gender, researchers identified the role of work-related stress.

“According to our data, roughly 1 in 5 people in employment are affected by high levels of mental stress at work. By that, scientists do not mean ‘normal job stress’ but rather the situation in which the individuals concerned, rate the demands made upon them as very high, and at the same time they have little scope for maneuver or for decision-making. We covered both these aspects in great detail in our surveys,” said Karl-Heinz Ladwig, MD, lead author of the study and professor at the Technical University of Munich.

The complete study is published in the August issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

-Michelle Canales

References:

Huth C, Thorand B, Baumert J et al. Job strain as a risk factor for the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus: findings form the MONICA/ KORA Augsburg Cohort Study. Psychosom Med. 2014 August [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000084.

Helmholtz Zentrum München. Work-related stress is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. August 8, 2014. www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/news/latest-news/press-information-news/article/24827/index.html. Accessed August 11, 2014.