Long work hours raise risk of heart disease

Working more than eight hours a day raises the risk of heart disease by 80 percent, researchers say.

The warning follows analysis of 12 studies dating back as far as 1958, involving 22,000 people from around the world, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

The analysis found that those whose working days that were longer than the traditional eight hours had a 40 to 80 percent greater chance of heart disease.

The study was conducted by scientists at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Lead researcher Marianna Virtanen said the effects could be due to “prolonged exposure to stress”.

Other triggers could be poor eating habits and lack of exercise due to restricted leisure time.

In 2009, the same team discovered that long working hours increased the risk of dementia later in life. The effect was similar in magnitude to that of smoking.

Middle-aged workers putting in 55 hours or more a week had poorer brain function than those clocking up no more than 40 hours, the Mail reported.