People who have highly demanding jobs and little freedom to make decisions are 23 per cent more likely to experience a heart attack compared with their counterparts without such work stress, according to a study of nearly 200 000 people from seven European countries.

Professor Mika Kivimäki from UCL Epidemiology & Public Health led the research which is published today in The Lancet.

The pooling of published and unpublished studies allowed us to investigate the association between coronary heart disease (CHD) and exposure to job strain – defined by high work demands and low decision control – with greater precision than has been previously possible,” explains Professor Kivimäki.

Our findings indicate that job strain is associated with a small, but consistent, increased risk of experiencing a first CHD event such as a heart attack.

Previous studies examining the impact of job strain on CHD have been inconsistent in their findings, limited in scope, and plagued by methodological shortcomings including publication bias and reverse causation bias.

In this collaborative meta-analysis, Professor Kivimäki and colleagues analysed job strain in employees without CHD who participated in 13 European national cohorts conducted in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK between 1985 and 2006. All participants completed questionnaires at the start of the studies to assess job demands, excessive workload, the level of time-pressure demands, and their freedom to make decisions.

People who have highly demanding jobs and little freedom to make decisions are 23 per cent more likely to experience a heart attack compared with their counterparts without such work stress, according to a study of nearly 200 000 people from seven European countries.

Professor Mika Kivimäki from UCL Epidemiology & Public Health led the research which is published today in The Lancet.

“The pooling of published and unpublished studies allowed us to investigate the association between coronary heart disease (CHD) and exposure to job strain – defined by high work demands and low decision control – with greater precision than has been previously possible,” explains Professor Kivimäki.

“Our findings indicate that job strain is associated with a small, but consistent, increased risk of experiencing a first CHD event such as a heart attack.”

Previous studies examining the impact of job strain on CHD have been inconsistent in their findings, limited in scope, and plagued by methodological shortcomings including publication bias and reverse causation bias.

In this collaborative meta-analysis, Professor Kivimäki and colleagues analysed job strain in employees without CHD who participated in 13 European national cohorts conducted in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK between 1985 and 2006. All participants completed questionnaires at the start of the studies to assess job demands, excessive workload, the level of time-pressure demands, and their freedom to make decisions.
ᔥUCL

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Moderate exercise may help people cope with anxiety and stress for an extended period of time post-workout, according to a study by kinesiology researchers in the University of Maryland School of Public Health published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

“While it is well-known that exercise improves mood, among other benefits, not as much is known about whether these positive effects endure when we’re faced with everyday stressors once we leave the gym,” explains Dr. J. Carson Smith, the study author and an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology. “We found that exercise helps to buffer the effects of emotional exposure. If you exercise, you’ll not only reduce your anxiety, but you’ll be better able to maintain that reduced anxiety when confronted with emotional events.”

Smith, whose research explores how exercise and physical activity affect brain function, aging and mental health, compared how moderate intensity cycling versus a period of quiet rest (both for 30 minutes) affected anxiety levels in a group of healthy college students. He assessed their anxiety state before the period of activity (or rest), shortly afterward (15 minutes after) and finally after exposing them to a variety of highly arousing pleasant and unpleasant photographs (from the International Affective Picture System), as well as neutral images. Smith found that exercise and quiet rest were equally effective at reducing anxiety levels initially. However, once they were emotionally stimulated for ~ 20 minutes, the anxiety levels of those who had simply rested went back up to their initial levels, whereas those who had exercised maintained their reduced anxiety levels. The study findings suggest that exercise may play an important role in helping people to better endure life’s daily anxieties and stressors.

Learn more about Dr. J. Carson Smith’s research.

The article “Effects of Emotional Exposure on State Anxiety after Acute Exercise” was written by J. Carson Smith and published online ahead of print on August 14, 2012 in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Download a PDF of the article at: http://www.exerciseforbrainhealth.com/publications

Image: Composite Creative Commons Lee McCoy & Kyle McDonald

Two stress hormones in action

To test the effect of various stress hormones, cognitive psychologists put the three ingredients: a placebo, the stress hormone cortisol and Yohimibin, which ensures that the stress hormone norepinephrine remains active longer. A portion of the subjects received only cortisol or just Yohimibin, other volunteers, both substances. The fourth group received a placebo. Overall, the data were received from 69 subjects in the study. [continue reading…]