Working women face stroke risk

Stress at work can mean a lot more than fighting for your job--it could also mean fighting for your life.

A new study finds that women with high levels of work- related stress have nearly double the risk of heart attack of women with less stress. And since other studies have found a similar risk for men, it looks like women have achieved the wrong kind of workplace equality.

Researchers examined a decade of data on 17,415 working women between the ages of 44 and 85, and found that women with high levels of on-the-job stress also had a 40 percent higher risk of any kind of cardiovascular event--from those heart attacks to bypass procedures.

The study presented at a recent American Heart Association conference also found that women who worry about their job security--a different type of workplace stress--are more likely to have cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels than women who are more secure.

But the study also proves that those commonly used markers aren't everything--because those worrying women didn't actually have a higher risk of heart attack, stroke or death despite those risk factors.

You might think those stressful jobs are mostly office workers and executives fighting for a place at the top of the corporate food chain... but researchers say they defined high-stress work as demanding jobs with little or no decision-making authority and no opportunities for women to use their skills.

In other words, they're your everyday working Janes. Probably people a lot like you and the women in your life.

The good news is, you don't have to give up your career to boost your health.

One great way to lower your disease risk is to end your days with a stiff drink or two. Studies have found real health benefits for men and women drinkers alike--and one new study finds that women who have a drink a day enjoy a 20 percent lower risk of stroke than nondrinkers.

That's not the end of women's health news today--keep reading for the latest on gout risk.