Women who find their jobs mentally tiring are more likely to develop
type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology .
The study findings suggest
that mentally draining work, such as teaching, may increase the risk of
diabetes in women. This suggests that employers and women should be more aware
of the potential health risks associated with mentally tiring work.
Type 2 diabetes is an
increasingly prevalent disease that places a huge burden on patients and
society, and can lead to significant health problems including heart attacks,
strokes, blindness and kidney failure. Numerous factors can increase the risk
of developing type 2 diabetes including, obesity, diet, exercise, smoking or a
family history of the disease. A recent review suggested that work-related
stress might be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in women,
but more investigation is needed.
In a French study, Dr Guy
Fagherazzi and colleagues from the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and
Population Health at Inserm, examined the effect of mentally tiring work on
diabetes incidence in over 70,000 women, during a 22-year period. Approximately
75% of the women were in the teaching profession and 24% reported finding their
work very mentally tiring at the beginning of the study. The study found that
women were 21% more likely to develop type-2 diabetes if they found their jobs
mentally tiring at the start of the study. This was independent of typical risk
factors including age, physical activity level, dietary habits, smoking status,
blood pressure, family history of diabetes and BMI.
Dr Guy Fagherazzi comments,
“Although we cannot directly determine what increased diabetes risk in these
women, our results indicate it is not due to typical type 2 diabetes risk
factors. This finding underscores the importance of considering mental
tiredness as a risk factor for diabetes among women.”
Dr Guy Fagherazzi states,
“Both mentally tiring work and type 2 diabetes are increasingly prevalent
phenomena. What we do know is that support in the workplace has a stronger
impact on work-related stress in women than men. Therefore, greater support for
women in stressful work environments could help to prevent chronic conditions
such as type 2 diabetes.”
The team now plans to study
how mentally tiring work affects patients with diabetes, including how they
manage their treatment, their quality of life and the risks of diabetes-related
complications. This research may help to identify new approaches that could
help improve the lives of patients living with diabetes.
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