Long hours culture increases obesity

New research has found that men who work long hours not only miss out on time with their family, they are more likely to put on weight.

One in five people who work long hours ends up overweight or obese. And the more hours worked the greater the chance that someone will put on weight.

The results suggest more people working flexibly or part time could help reduce the number who are overweight.

Researchers from Finland and Sweden pulled together information from a huge number of previous studies into work and weight.

Altogether the research published in the journal Nature covered over 120,000 people. And it drew a line between the obesity crisis and long hours culture.

Weight gain

Obesity contributes to the chances of getting other conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

The Scandinavian researchers suggested the connection could be due to workers having extended periods of sitting, reduced opportunities for exercise, changes in eating habits leading to positive energy balance, and subsequently to weight gain.

They also found that those working long hours are less likely to lose weight. Some previous studies had suggested that working excess hours and the stress that goes with that could lead to people actually losing weight. However by bringing together many previous studies the researchers showed that’s not the case. They pointed out that stress has complex effects on the body and can actually cause some people to gain weight.

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