Work Stress And Women’s Weight
The effects of job-related stress were associated with significant increases in weight gain among women, Swedish researchers found. The team from the University of Gothenburg followed nearly 3,900 men and women for 20 years. The investigators periodically interviewed the study volunteers about psychological pressure at work, whether or not there was enough time to get their jobs done, and how often demands made were contradictory. The participants were followed from age 30 to 50 or 40 to 60 and were questioned three times about their weight and their job responsibilities. The researchers reported that the less control the participants perceived they had, the more frequently they gained 10 percent or more of their weight over the course of the study. But they found that long-term exposure to high job demands played a role only among the women in the study. Just over half of those who were subjected to high demands gained 20 percent more weight than women subject to low job demands. The level of the women’s education, the quality of their diets, or other lifestyle factors weren’t contributing factors in the link between job stress and weight gain, the researchers wrote.
Source:
Sofia Klingberg, “Occupational stress is associated with major long-term weight gain in a Swedish population-based cohort,” International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, December 6, 2018
Also in this week’s bulletin:
- Blood Pressure And Your Brain
- How To Resist Tempting Food
- This week’s recipe: Spaghetti Squash Casserole
