London: Employees on the lower rungs of the job ladder such as clerks, have higher blood pressure and increased heart rate in the mornings, says a University College London study.

According to a report in 'Health Behaviour News Service', men in lower-level positions also had higher average levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day. Among women, however, average cortisol levels were higher throughout the day among the higher-level executives rather than lower-level clerical workers.

Published in the current issue of 'Psychosomatic Medicine', the study showed no significant differences in heart rate, blood pressure or cortisol levels among any of the workers at rest, indicating that "the actual experience of lower social status" may trigger these biological stress responses.

Andrew Steptoe and colleagues monitored blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol among 202 British civil servants for one day.

The participants were men and women ages 45 to 58 with no prior history of heart disease or high blood pressure, says the report.

The differences among low-status and high-status workers remained significant even after accounting for the employees' smoking and drinking habits, sleep, physical activity and their own reported feelings of stress – all factors that can influence the cardiovascular and hormone stress signs.

ANI