Overworking — not only at the office — ‘linked’ to type 2 diabetes in women

Women who spend more than 45 hours working every week have a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes than their counterparts who spend about 40 hours or less, says a new research.

It is not yet certain why it has only been observed in women but further studies have shown that it might have to do with the fact that women do not stop working even after they leave the office as they have to take on other responsibilities at home.

“It’s important to understand that the work environment does play an increased role in the risk of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. Working long hours is not a healthy thing to do,” said Peter Smith, the study’s lead author who’s a senior scientist at the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto.

Studies have also found no significant link between men’s work hours and type 2 diabetes.

“If you look at time spent outside of work, women do more care of household members and more routine housework. The only thing women don’t do more of is watching TV and exercising,” Smith added.

Obesity and doing jobs that require an individual to sit in one place all the time also increase the likelihood of an individual having type 2 diabetes, the study said.

The study also showed that if an individual is overworked, it might cause a stress response that leads to hormonal imbalance and insulin resistance which might contribute to the development of diabetes.