Working Too Much May Increase Diabetes Risk

Working too much can actually increase the risk of diabetes in some individuals, according to recent findings published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Researchers examined the link between working too much and type 2 diabetes--a chronic illnesses that causes high levels of sugar in the blood. The study showed that many who work for longer periods are more likely to suffer from the potentially debilitating health condition.

For their findings, researchers analyzed data on over 222,000 people within the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia gathered from previous studies. The participants were then followed for an average of 8 years. Though they did not initially find a link between the health issue and working more than 55 hours per work and those who worked 35 to 40 hours per week for diabetes, another analysis also factored in manual labor and "low socioeconomic status jobs." This did show an increased risk of developing the health condition.

"Although working long hours is unlikely to increase diabetes risk in everyone, health professionals should be aware that it is associated with a significantly increased risk in people doing low socioeconomic status jobs," concluded researcher Mika Kivimaki, professor of epidemiology at University College London in England, via Health Day.