Work stress 'damages heart'

Work-related stress may have a detrimental impact upon the heart, it has been claimed.

According to the results of a study led by a Sir Michael Marmot of University College London (UCL), evidence exists to support the notion that work-related stress is linked to mechanisms which play a part in the development of heart disease.

"This study demonstrates that cumulative stress at work can lead to [coronary heart disease] through direct activation of neuroendocrine stress pathways and indirectly through unhealthy behaviours," said Dr Tarani Chandola, a senior lecturer at the UCL's department of epidemiology and public health.

"Stress at work is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease but the mechanisms underlying this association have remained unclear until now."

This latest research is part of a long-running study, dubbed Whitehall II.

A number of different activities and techniques are known to reduce the effects of stress, including exercise, time management and meditation.