Job Stress Linked to Increased Heart-Attack Risk

There are also major heart disease risk factors you cannot control, such as getting older, being male and your genes.

If there is one thing that is clear, it is that heart disease is a significant problem in the United States.

An American will have a coronary event about every 25 seconds, and someone will die of one about every minute, according to the updated 2012 AHA report on heart disease.

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More than 16 million Americans have heart disease. It caused 1 of every 6 deaths in 2008, accounting for more than 400,000 deaths. Almost 800,000 Americans with have a new heart attack each year, and 470,000 will have a repeat attack.

Study author Kivimaki agreed that people experiencing job strain would do well to address other more significant contributors to heart disease.

"High strain is associated with an elevated risk of developing heart disease, but this excess risk is probably smaller than previously thought," Kivimaki says. "For those with job strain, adopting a healthy lifestyle seems particularly important."