A study of 5,566 people and their seven health habits revealed nine jobs or professions that make people fat and harm their hearts.

The seven health habits include blood sugar, blood pressure, fitness levels, cholesterol, diet, obesity and smoking that are collectively known as "Life's Simple 7."

The participants in the study were all above the age of 45 and didn't have stroke or heart disease history. The findings were presented at the American Heart Association conference on Tuesday.

Farmers

People who work in the agriculture business are fairly strong because of the daily physical activities but they suffer from poor eating habits. More often than not, farmers grab whatever is handy and fast that they can eat while they're out in the fields. Quite often, they don't grab the healthy options.

People Who Work In The Food Industry

The struggle is real: working every day near all that food is not easy, especially for foodies. Well, maybe that's why they work in the food industry. The survey found that 79 percent of food preparation employees and wait staff have poor eating habits.

Sales Professionals

The survey found 69 percent of salespeople in the study have high cholesterol levels and 68 percent have poor eating habits. Maybe the stress of reaching their monthly sales quota is making them crave for comfort, fattening food.

People Who Work At The Fire And Police Departments

Sadly, the people who protect us fail to protect their own health. While being fit comes with the job, the survey found that 90 percent of firefighters and policemen in the survey were weight overweight or obese.

Maybe that common joke about donuts and police officers and tacos and firefighters have some truth in it because it seems they're packing on the pounds.

But that's not all. The survey also found that 35 percent of these folks in uniform had high blood pressure and a staggering 77 percent had high cholesterol.

Administrative Support Staff

Findings showed that the support staff's level of physical activity are not ideal, at least those who are involved in the study. A whopping 82 percent didn't have ideal physical activity scores. Maybe it's because they're on their desks most of the time.

Material And Transportation Movers

Maybe the weight is too heavy on these professionals, that's why they can't quit the smoke. The study found that 22 percent of the movers in the surveys smoke. This group had the highest number of smokers across all professions involved in the study.

Finance And Business Managers

Doctors, lawyers and managers are the healthiest bunch in the survey. Managers, in general, rarely smoke. About 75 percent have moderate fitness levels and only six percent smoke. And if they do, you won't find them outside sharing a smoke with the other workers during cigarette break.

However, the same cannot be said about the 72 percent of mangers in the finance and business sectors. The survey found they have poor eating habits. The poor diets could be linked to job stress.

While On The Job

Professionals who are required to work in shifts or perform on less sleep have higher stress levels – obviously worse than mild stress – that can lead to unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking and eating poorly.

"Work conditions, such as long or irregular work hours, low job control, low social support, linked in prior research to sub-clinical CVD [cardiovascular disease] and behavioral health, may explain group differences found in our study," said study co-author Dr. Leslie MacDonald from the U.S. Public Health Service.

Disagreeable interactions with managers, customers or co-workers and insufficient control of resources to meet their deliverables can affect a professional's dedication to healthier habits.

"When feeling stressed, it's harder to resist reaching for a cigarette or simple carbohydrates or chocolate," added MacDonald.

Professionals under pressure and suffering from fatigue often crave carbohydrates that fail to deliver sustainable energy. MacDonald recommended replacing candy, chips and pastries with celery sticks and whole fruits. Having an exercise buddy can also help in promoting good cardiovascular health.

Photo : Pete Bellis | Flickr