Working overtime is good for the wallet but may be bad for your health. A study published in the British Medical Journal Diabetes Research and Care found that women who work 45 hours or more a week have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to women who work 35 to 40 hours.
Researchers in Canada evaluated the medical records of 7,000 men and women, between the ages of 35 and 75, working a varied number of total weekly hours. Participants were followed for 12 years. Results showed that 1 in 10 people developed diabetes. At highest risk were older, obese men.
The surprising results were, although women were less likely than men to develop type 2 diabetes, women who worked 45 hours or more per week were 62 percent more likely to develop diabetes than women who worked between 35 and 40 hours. In comparison, men who worked longer hours showed a slightly reduced trend of developing the disease.
The researchers accounted for variables such as age, gender, marital status, parenthood, ethnicity, residence, lifestyle, weight, smoking, chronic health conditions, shift work, number of weeks worked in a year and whether a job was active or sedentary.
It is not clear from the study why women who work longer hours had an increased risk of developing diabetes but the researchers think it may be because women spend more time outside of work caring for the family, doing the cooking and other household chores. The additional hours of work may cause an increase in stress hormones leading to insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes.
Worldwide type 2 diabetes is on the rise. As of 2015, The International Diabetes Federation estimates that more than 400 million people are living with diabetes and estimates that 90-95% of those cases are type 2 diabetes. In 2012, at least 1.5 million deaths were attributed to diabetes and the World Health Organization anticipates the number of deaths caused by diabetes will double by the year 2030.
It is important for those diagnosed with diabetes to seek treatment early before severe systemic damage has occurred. Stem cell therapy, at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute, may help patients with diabetes that are not responding adequately to standard drug treatment, are newly diagnosed and would like to try stem cell therapy before initiating drug treatment, or would like to reduce the symptoms associated with diabetes.
The regenerative experts at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute, in Costa Rica, are committed to providing personalized service and the highest quality of care to every patient. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with diabetes and are interested in learning more about the potential benefits of stem cell therapy, contact the Stem Cells Transplant Institute today.
Reference:
The study was published online July 2 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care.
