Regularly staying late at the office significantly increases the risk of having a stroke or heart attack, researchers have found, working just an hour extra each day pushes up stroke risk by 10 per cent, according to a huge review of working patterns. And people who work an extra three hours a day--or 55 hours a week--are 33 per cent more likely to have a stroke, the scientists found. The research, published in the Lancet medical journal, is based on health records of more than 500, 000 people across Europe, the US and Australia. Scientists led by University College London warned that people who work longer hours tend to do less exercise, sit at a computer for hours at a time and drink more than people with a better work-life balance. Repeated stress may also be to blame for greater health problems, the scientists think. They looked at the combined result of 17 previous studies, in which 529, 000 people were tracked over an average of seven years. Experts stressed that the study had only found a link between hours worked and heart problems---it had not proved what had actually caused each death. But they warned people to take note of the findings. Dr Tim Chico, consultant cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said "For many people, reducing their working hours would be difficult or impossible, and this study does not show that it would reduce the risk of stroke." Most of us could reduce the amount of time we spend sitting down, increase our physical activity and improve our diet while working and this might be more important the more time we spend at work. Which areas are involved in the research?
The US, Australia and Russia. Japan, Britain and China. China, Russia and Japan. Europe, the US and Australia.