London: It's now official -working over 8 hours a day increases the risk of stroke by 33%. Scientists have for the first time quantified the number of hours of work that could cause serious harm. Working 55 hours or more per week is linked to a 33% greater risk of stroke and a more modest (13%) increased risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with working a standard 35 to 40 hour week. The largest study till date on the issue, involving over 6,00,000 individuals will be published in The Lancet on Thursday. It clearly shows that the longer people worked, the higher their chances of a stroke. In the study , data from 25 studies involving 6,03,838 men and women from Europe, USA and Australia were looked into, with each of them studied for nearly nine years. The study was carried out by Mika Kivimaki, professor of epidemiology at University College London Source
