People who work long hours face a risk of drinking too much alcohol, researchers warned today.
The risk of becoming alcohol abusers is increased by about 12% for people working 50 or more hours a week, according to the new study.
Above safe levels of drinking there may be increased health risks including liver disease, cancer, heart disease, stroke, mental disorders, and injuries, according to Professor Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, and colleagues.
In The BMJ, they say that excess drinking brings "considerable social costs because of family disruption, violence, traffic incidents, health care costs, reduced work productivity, and permanent exclusion from the labour market".
They examined the link between working hours and alcohol use by analysing 81 studies involving 434,295 participants from 14 countries. Working over 49 hours a week was linked to a 12% higher rate of risky alcohol use, compared to working less than 41 hours a week.
Although not a great difference in risk, the experts say "any exposure with avoidable increases in disease or health damaging behaviour, or both, warrants careful examination".
The raised risk applied to both men and women, workers of all ages, and across socioeconomic groups and geographical regions.
The experts conclude: "Individuals whose working hours exceed standard recommendations – 48 hours a week laid down by the European Union Working Time Directive – are more likely to increase their alcohol use to levels that pose a health risk."
Commenting on the study, Dr Cassandra Okechukwu of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, says: "The study provides a behavioural mechanism through which long working hours could adversely affect health outcomes."
Virtanen, M. et al. Long working hours and alcohol use: systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual participant data. BMJ 14 January 2015 doi: 10.1136/bmj.g7772 [abstract]
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