Teachers, shop workers, receptionists, NHS staff and air stewards may be at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a study has suggested.
Swedish scientists found those who worked in roles involving face-to-face or telephone chats with customers or clients were more likely to be diagnosed with the condition, which can trigger deadly heart problems.
They said the ’emotional demands’ and ‘confrontation’ involved with these jobs piled on stress for those who worked them, damaging their health.
The scientists based their findings on employment and health data from 3million Swedes aged 30-60 with no prior history of diabetes.
Experts compared the job these people had in 2005 and if they developed type 2 diabetes over the next 15 years.
The research team—from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm—categorised jobs according to three factors.
These were to what extent a job involved contact with people, the emotional demands of a job, and the degree of support a workplace offered to combat these stressors.
Swedish scientists found people who worked in roles involving face-to-face or telephone chats with customers or clients were more likely to develop a serious health condition
They found those with high exposure to the emotional demands and confrontation of working with people were up to a quarter more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, compared to those who reported low exposure.
For women the risk of type 2 diabetes went up 24 per cent for emotional demands and 20 per cent for confrontation.
In men, working in an emotionally demanding role boosted the risk of type 2 diabetes by a fifth, while a workplace rife with confrontation increased the risk by 15 pr cent.
The researchers—publishing their findings in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine—found a lack of support from managers and employers to combat the stress of these jobs dramatically increased the risk.
They said those lacking this support while working these demanding jobs were up to 47 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Concluding, the scientists said the findings supported previous research that working in person-facing jobs was stressful and that this significantly could damage people’s health.
They explained this could be a mix of being forced to hide emotions when dealing with frustrating customers or potentially looking after people in stressful situations, for example healthcare workers.
How exactly these stressors could be increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes was unclear.
Almost 4.3 million people were living with diabetes in 2021/22. And another 850,000 people have diabetes and are completely unaware of it, which is worrying because untreated type 2 diabetes can lead to complications including heart disease and strokes
Brits consume almost 800 extra calories and walk 3,500 fewer steps on average when they WFH. Experts acknowledged that making your lounge your office can be a ‘cosy working environment’. However, they warned it can ‘lack structure and routine’, potentially spelling trouble for your waistline
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But the experts suggested chronic stress could be harming the body’s metabolism— which in turn inhibits its ability to process the blood sugar hormone insulin—and increasing type 2 diabetes risk.
Diabetes is a potentially deadly illness which costs the NHS £10 billion a year to treat.
Some 22,000 people are sent to an early grave each year due to type 2 diabetes in England, Government figures suggest.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin it makes doesn’t work properly.
This hormone is needed to bring down blood sugar levels.
Having high blood sugar levels over time can cause heart attacks and strokes, as well as problems with the eyes, kidneys and feet.
Sufferers may need to overhaul their diet, take daily medication and have regular check-ups.
While person facing role were the focus of the new study, working from home (WFH) could also harm your health.
A survey in 2023 suggested that WFH—with its lack of calorie burning commute and walking to meetings—could be making you fatter.
And experts have created terrifying visions of what the physical and metal toll of working from home could have on the body.
‘Anna displays many physical effects because of consistent use of technology, screen exposure and poor posture, as well as highlighting potential mental health issues,’ Furniture at Work said.
The new study does have some limitations, which the authors acknowledged.
One is that as the study only looked at employment information, external factors known to increase diabetes risk, such as diet, exercise and obesity weren’t included.
