Constant emotional demands and in-person confrontations at work could significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially among women, according to a new study published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal.
Researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute found that emotionally taxing jobs, particularly those with low social support, were linked to a higher chance of developing the metabolic disorder. Researchers found that women in high-stress roles without strong work support had a 47% risk of developing diabetes.
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The study looked at data from nearly 30 lakh people in Sweden, aged between 30 and 60, who were free of diabetes in 2005. Over 14 years, over 2 lakh individuals developed type 2 diabetes, with 60% of them being men.
The researchers focused on 20 job roles in professions that require emotionally charged interactions with people. They evaluated three types of interpersonal demands: general interaction, emotional stress, and confrontation.
They found that high emotional demands were associated with a 24% increased risk of diabetes in women and a 20% rise in men. Confrontational work environments were linked to a 20% and 15% increase in risk for women and men, respectively.
The team suggested that chronic work-related stress can overstimulate the endocrine system, increasing cortisol levels and leading to insulin resistance, a known precursor to type 2 diabetes. Expectations to suppress or display emotions that do not reflect genuine feelings, particularly in customer-facing roles, compound the stress. A lack of workplace support could further intensify the impact of stress on metabolic health, the study added.
