PROJECT SUMMARY
A range of factors contribute to the development and progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D). These factors
include diet, exercise, genetics, environmental exposures, socioeconomics, age, sex, geography, and
behavioral patterns. Among behavioral patterns, emerging evidence suggests workaholism is a contributing
factor in coronary heart disease and stroke, two diseases that are often macrovascular complications of and/or
complicated by prolonged T2D. Workaholism goes well beyond the number of hours worked—it is
characterized by a compulsive need (i.e., preoccupation with work) to work excessively hard (i.e., perpetual
work involvement), and it spans across white-collar and blue-collar workers alike. The role workaholism may
play in contributing toward the etiology of T2D is not known. Our long-term objective is to establish
mechanisms by which workaholism contributes to the development of T2D. The goal of this R15 application is
to take the first steps toward our long-term goal by investigating the relationship between workaholism and
circulating levels of glucose, insulin, and lipids. We will focus on subjects across the healthy and prediabetic
range to avoid the confounding effects of T2D. The potential mediating roles of overall stress, work stress,
sleep problems, total caloric intake, and total physical activity on the association between workaholism and
impaired metabolic outcomes will also be examined. We hypothesize workaholism is associated with
glucose/insulin dysregulation, which are major drivers of insulin resistance (a hallmark of T2D), and
dyslipidemia, which is associated with insulin resistance and contributes to the etiology of T2D and its
complications. Aim 1 will determine the relationship between workaholism and fasting glucose, fasting insulin,
and insulin sensitivity. Aim 2 will determine the relationship between workaholism and fasting LDL, HDL, total
cholesterol, and triglycerides. Impact: The proposed research breaks new ground by investigating a
relationship between workaholism and fasting glucose, fasting insulin, calculated insulin sensitivity, and lipid
levels using objective and rigorous assessments to investigate the health of workaholics. Establishing a
relationship between workaholism and specific metabolic outcomes will provide the basis for testing
interventions designed to modify workaholic behaviors and its potential impact on insulin resistance,
prediabetes, and ultimately T2D. Furthermore, our work will set the basis for future longitudinal studies which
will establish causality at a mechanistic level between workaholism and prediabetes/T2D. Finally, consistent
with the objectives of an R15 application, strong interdisciplinary training will be provided to students
(particularly from minority groups) with the fusion of industrial/organizational psychology, statistics, and
biomedical sciences.
