Stress is a Major Factor for Developing Diabetes

Employees subjected to too much pressure on their workplaces are 45% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to results of a study published in the medical journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

The type 2 diabetes itself is mainly associated with overweight (although the family factor is dominant), lack of physical activity and concerns mainly people over 50 years. It can usually be treated with diet or medication. Type 2 diabetes affects approximately nine out of ten diabetics. But environmental factors also seem to favor the development of this disease.

To identify them, researchers at the Research Institute of Munich followed the medical records of 5,337 employees without diabetes aged 29 to 66 years for 13 years.

The volunteers filled out detailed questionnaires about their working conditions and stress. During the study period, one employee in five reported being regularly stressed at work and 300 of them developed diabetes type 2.

After adjustment for factors such as activity level, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, researchers found that job stress increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 45%.

This study confirms the findings of a previous Canadian study from the University of Toronto found that 19% of cases of type 2 diabetes was associated in women with stress at work.

A deadly disease that progresses rapidly

The evolution of the disease in France and the world leaves little room for optimism because of poor eating habits and daily life more and more sedentary. Already in 2000, the WHO projected that there would be nearly a million diabetics in France more by 2030 In Europe, this figure is expected to rise from 33 million in 2000 to 48,000,000 in 2030.

Half of diabetics die from cardiovascular disease. Between 10 and 20% of Europeans die from renal failure, 10% develop severe visual impairment and 50% suffer from diabetic neuropathy.