Research led by UCLA Fielding finds links between work, diet and chronic illnesses

Two related studies published recently by international teams - including researchers with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing - examined how diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses can stem from a combination of working conditions and lifestyle factors.

In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers examined whether work shifts and meal duration were associated with diabetes in a cross-sectional study of a nationally representative sample of U.S. workers and whether workers' age affected this association. In the Journal of Preventive Medicine study, the researchers analyzed whether longer working hours were associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease, and how a poor diet contributed to such associations.

The research suggests that working 55 hours or more per week combined with a poor diet can lead to a 61% higher rate of obesity, 33% higher rate of diabetes and 73% higher chance of death due to cardiovascular disease. Similarly, independent of diet, consistently eating more - and more often - was associated with a 51% higher rate of diabetes among workers aged 45 years or younger.

"Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, with rising health care expenses and a growing prevalence, even among the younger working-age population," said co-author Dr. Onyebuchi Arah, a professor of epidemiology at the Fielding School. "In the U.S., 14.7% of the adults of working age have diabetes, and the prevalence has been continuously increasing."

Read more on the Fiedling School's website.