Working long hours doubles the risk of heart death

Slow down and get fitter. That’s the message of new research on heart health published today.

The first study to look at the effect of long working hours on the middle-aged male comes to a dramatic conclusion. Published in the BMJ journal Heart, it suggests that unfit middle-aged men working over 45 hours a week are twice as likely to die of heart disease than those who spend less time working. Sound like anyone you know?

The researchers followed a good sized sample - about 5000 Danish men aged 40-59 - for a long period - thirty years - so this is a significant piece of research.

These results were adjusted to allow for age and lifestyle as well as the physical demands of the job and the social class of the worker. In other words, if you’re a high flyer with a desk job this applies to you as much as to a builder.

The findings suggest that men who work long hours for whatever reason need to be fit to do it. Dr Jane Landon, deputy director of the National Heart Forum, made some suggestions to The Guardian: ‘Men in this age group don't need to be doing extreme sports but they do need to be keeping physically fit by, for example, walking or cycling or even doing gardening or DIY, which all contribute to a good level of fitness.’

Employers too need to shape up to reduce the hours and increase the fitness of their workers. MHF CEO Peter Baker said: 'Employers and the government need to take account of this research and to consider whether there should be stricter controls on working hours. Too many British men are working very long hours, and often not because they want to.'

• Nov 2008: Dicky ticker? Blame the boss