Men with strenuous physical occupation have a higher risk of dying early compared to those who have desk jobs, a new study reveals.
The study conducted by researchers from the VU University Medical Center in Netherlands show that there's an apparent “physical activity paradox” where exercise can be harmful at work, but beneficial when performed in leisure time.
Pieter Coenen, a public health researcher at VU University medical centre in Amsterdam, said: “While we know leisure-time physical activity is good for you, we found that occupational physical activity has an 18% increased risk of early mortality for men. These men are dying earlier than those who are not physically active in their occupation.”
According to the Guardian, unhealthier lifestyles of those engaged in manual labour could be one of the reasons for reduced life expectancy. Unhealthy diet, smoking and alcohol consumption could all be contributing factors.
Erika Borkoles from the Queensland University of Technology said the results of the study could be misleading.
"The causes of death could also be related to occupational stress associated with little control, harsh working conditions, and an overall stress arising from socio-economic backgrounds of the current population," Borkoles said, according to New Atlas. "Typically, people in such jobs have higher social inequality profiles, indicating less access to paid holidays and sick leave, which threatens their job security if requested."
But Coenen feels several other factors could be at play.
“If you go out for a run for half an hour in your leisure time,” he said, “that increases your heart rate and you feel well afterwards, but when you are physically active at work, it’s a very different type of activity. You are working for eight hours a day and have limited rest periods. You are lifting, doing repetitive movements, and manual handling.
“Our hypothesis is that these kinds of activities actually strain your cardiovascular system rather than help you to improve the fitness of your cardiovascular system,” Coenen noted.
