Association of working conditions and lifestyle with increased serum gamma-glutamyltransferase: A follow-up study

Background. This study investigated the association of working conditions and lifestyle with the development of increased serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) in Japanese workers. Methods. A follow-up study was carried out on workers of a telecommunication enterprise who received their first annual health check-up between 1992 and 1996, when they were between 40 and 54 years of age. Workers who had high serum GGT (>= 60 IU/L in males, >= 30 IU/L in females), a past history of disease, or current illness at their first check-up were excluded from the analysis. In total, the study included 15,586 workers. The association between working conditions and lifestyle and development of increased serum GGT (>= 60 IU/L in males, >= 30 IU/L in females) was investigated by pooled logistic regression analyses. Results. In males, body mass index, consumption of alcohol (< 2 times/week, 2-5 times/week, > 5 times/week), smoking (< 20 cigarettes/day, >= 20 cigarettes/day), rarely taking three meals a day, marked preference for salty meals, and little preference for vegetables were positively associated with the development of increased serum GGT. Preferences for fatty meals (marked, moderate) were negatively associated with the development of increased serum GGT. In females, age and BMI were positively associated with the development of increased serum GGT. Conclusions. Applying a new statistical analysis to this retrospective cohort study of 5 years, we revealed the health influences of alcohol consumption, smoking and eating habits on increased serum GGT. On the other hand, this study indicated that shift work or other working conditions are not significant risk factors for increased serum GGT. (c) 2005 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc.