By Jeannine Stein for TakePart.com A new study discovered just
how much stress in the workplace increases your risk of a heart
attack. Having a job that’s high in stress but low in power
could be bad for your heart. A study released this week in the
Lancet found that people who experience job strain have a 23
percent increased risk of having a heart attack compared to
their peers who have it easier at work. Researchers analyzed 13
studies that included 197,473 people who were followed for an
average 7.5 years. Even after controlling for age, gender,
lifestyle and other factors, the increased risk remained. The
study didn’t find a cause and effect between stress and heart
attack. But if there were a direct link, by reducing workplace
stress, the authors said, heart attacks would come down in
number too. What we already know: Stress is a factor in heart
disease, along with usual suspects such as smoking, diet and
lack of activity. How does stress affect the heart? Stress
prompts the production of adrenaline and