Your job really may be bad for your health.
A new study found a link between heart health – specifically heart disease and stroke – and certain jobs. Middle-age employees working in sales, office or food jobs, or working as police officers, firefighters, truckers and health care support workers are likely to have more risk factors critical to heart health than those with professional or managerial jobs, researchers said.
READ: How To Eat Healthy When You Work Nights
These risk factors include blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, physical activity, smoking, diet and body mass index. Researchers from the U.S. Public Health Service conducted the study. More than 5,500 men and women ages 45 and older participated in the study, which assessed each individual’s heart health using the aforementioned risk factors called “Life’s Simple 7” by the American Heart Association.
These workers are more likely to smoke and eat an unhealthy diet, according to the study. They also tend to be inactive physically at work and suffer from high blood pressure. Two of three sales or office workers had poor eating habits and bad cholesterol. Additionally, four out of five workers didn’t get enough exercise.
Read:Breakfast On The Go: Ordering Healthier At Your Favorite Fast Food Spots
Believe it or not, employees at food service jobs ate worse than any other profession. Nearly four out of five reported a poor daily diet, possibly because they are eating the food at the restaurant during lunch breaks. Click here to find a natural solution to lower cholesterol and lower your risk for heart disease with Meta Daily Heart Health.
These workers had the highest smoking rates out of the other professions. More than one out of every five transportation workers smoked.
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Nine out of 10 police officers, firefighters, security guards and other protective service workers were overweight or obese, according to the study. Three-quarters reported bad cholesterol levels and one-third suffered from high blood pressure.
Among these employees, one-third had an ideal body mass index. Three out of four were at least moderately active and 6 percent were smokers. As for finance workers and white-collar professionals with business jobs, 72 percent had poor eating habits.
Desk jobs typically keep people from being active for at least eight hours out of the day. Other factors that play into challenges to heart health include long and weird hours at work, loud noises, poor air quality, work-related stress and job insecurity.
READ: Be Easy: How You React To Stress Could Put Your Heart At Risk
“Adding physical activity, like a lunch-time walk, can also create multiple benefits since it can help you wind down, possibly improving sleep, and reducing stress-related eating and smoking,” said lead researcher Capt. Leslie MacDonald.
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