More stress more heart disease but farmers coping

The amount of stress you face in our job can have a direct biological impact on the body, raising the risk of heart disease, research has indicated.

================   Stress study findings Those who reported stressful jobs appeared less likely to eat sufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables, and were less likely to exercise - problem drinking did not emerge as a significant problem in this study. Lifestyle, the researchers concluded, was nonetheless a key factor in the development of the disease.

Ironically, while farming is rated as one of the 10 most stressful occupations, most farmers say they wouldn't trade it for any other job. Do does that mean that farmers are better able to handle stress then their city counterparts?

Possibly. The stress study, which was reported in the European Heart Journal focused on more than 10,000 British civil servants.

Those under 50 who said their work was stressful were nearly 70% more likely to develop heart disease than the stress-free and those that were stressed had less time to exercise and eat well - but they also showed signs of important biochemical changes.

On the other hand, with farmers when stress has gone unrecognized and is not dealt with it can play havoc with the farm family and the farm operation. When stress levels get too high, farmers are more likely to make poor farming decisions and be involved in farm accidents.