Work stress -- a study

Here's another reason to learn those office mantras and take out that stress ball from your drawer. A study by researchers at the University College London reported that people with high job stress over a long period of time have double the risk of developing the dreaded metabolic syndrome, a health condition linked to diabetes, obesity and deranged blood cholesterol levels. They further suggest that this link may help explain the relationship between stressors of everyday life and heart disease. The study on 10,308 participants aged 35 to 55 defined work stress as being in the lowest third of work social support, and having high job demands and low job control. Compared with those who never reported work stress, those who reported work stress three or more times over a 14-year study period had double the risk of metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, the researchers noticed that the risk increased as the stress level increased. The mechanism underlying the relation-ship between work stress and metabolic syndrome remains unknown, but it may have something to do with the biochemical "fight-or-flight" responses of your body to stress.