What professions increase risk of developing diabetes?

Occupation and lifestyle can influence the risk of developing diabetes, said a new stud published in the journal Diabetologia.

The authors studied representatives of various professions (over 4.5 million citizens born between 1937 and 1979, who worked between 2001 and 2013) and identified those most at risk for type 2 diabetes. It turned out that in general, the incidence of diabetes varies by profession: from 2.5% to 8.8% in men and from 1.2% to 6.4% in women.

Among professional male drivers, 8.8% suffered from diabetes, among industrial workers - 7.8%, but only 2.5% among computer scientists. Among women, the prevalence of diabetes was highest among production workers (6.4%), followed by cooks (5.5%) and cleaners (5.1%). The lowest rate was among specialist managers - 1.2%.

According to scientists, professional drivers, workers and janitors are at greatest risk, and this may be due to irregular hours of work, night shifts, stress and sleep disturbances associated with these professions. Although scientists say that this study does not show a direct causal relationship, but it allows certain conclusions to be drawn to develop measures to mitigate this effect. The authors point to attempts in the US, where one in ten suffers from diabetes, to implement diabetes prevention programs in the workplace.

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