Study: Working More Hours Increases Risk For Heart Disease

KYW's Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- For many of us, the 40-hour workweek is a thing of the past. In fact, a significant percentage of U.S.��adults work about nine hours per day, on average, and more than one out of three employed adults work on weekends. But there can be a heavy price to pay for all of those hours.

According to a study from the Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, the more hours per week a person works, the greater his or her risk for cardiovascular disease.

Researchers studied nearly 2,000 U.S. employees who held a job for at least ten years. Each year people who clocked more than 46 hours per week had the greatest risk.

And it gets worse with more hours.

Compared with people who worked 45 hours per week, those who logged 55 hours had a 16 percent higher risk for heart problems.

Here is how it works: spending long hours at work can raise blood pressure and this can lead to damage the heart and arteries.

In case you are wondering, people who work a lot are also less likely to exercise -- and that does not help things.