A study conducted at Syracuse University in New York, USA, has medically proven that taking a vacation reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome, therefore cardiovascular disease, at least as much as quitting smoking. Metabolic syndrome, which is a problem of the modern era in which hypertension, cholesterol, overweight, and diabetes are seen together, is also quite common in our country.
According to Metsend Metabolic Syndrome Frequency Survey in Turkey, 36 percent of the society has metabolic syndrome. So much so that it begins to be seen from childhood. In women, it is three times more common than in men. It was determined that “taking a vacation” is as effective as lifestyle changes such as nutritional changes, quitting smoking, and starting sports in the fight against metabolic syndrome. According to a study, also published last week in JAMA, one of the world's respected medical journals, 63 people were monitored for 12 months. Most of the participants were female, and the mean age of the participants was 43. The study revealed that when these people took a total of 14 days of paid annual leave, the risk of metabolic syndrome decreased from 47 percent to 16 percent. Our specialist from Yeditepe University Hospital Endocrinology Department stated that even spending the vacation at home reduced the risk of metabolic syndrome by 27 percent. 

Even Spending the Leave at Home Is Effective!

Explaining that hypertension and the heart attacks caused by it, various heart diseases, and more fatal conditions such as cancer, and stroke can develop in metabolic syndrome, which is a picture that triggers diabetes the most, our specialist said, “When we correct metabolic syndrome, we completely prevent the development of all these diseases. Therefore, we can say that taking a leave also prevents heart attack, stroke, paralysis, or cancer in a sense.” Emphasizing that the occurrence rate of metabolic syndrome, characterized by several disorders caused by being overweight, increases with development, our specialist gave the following information about the research: “In the study, it is emphasized that the occurrence rate of metabolic syndrome is observed to be lower in those who take a paid annual leave. Although they have available paid leaves, only 74 percent of the working population in America can take their annual leaves properly. This situation is not much different in our country either. It has been found that the occurrence rate of metabolic syndrome in individuals who do not take leave is 47 percent, but this rate decreases to 16 percent in those who take a vacation. There is a difference of up to 30 percent between the two groups. Even in this study, it was determined that the occurrence rate of metabolic syndrome was 38 percent in those who worked from home, while the risk decreased to 11 percent in those who spent their leave at home. Therefore, taking a leave, even if you spend it at home, actually has a very positive effect on metabolic syndrome.”

Individuals Switch to a Healthier Diet During Their Leaves

The fact that the working population switches to a healthier lifestyle with vacation lies at the foundation of these positive effects. Our specialist explained this as follows: "Taking a vacation has positive effects on stress in the first place." Secondly, it has been observed that people move more when they are on vacation. Increased movement, on the other hand, is a factor that prevents metabolic syndrome. Interestingly enough, the myth that those who take a vacation have a more unhealthy diet is destroyed by this study. On the contrary, it has been observed that those who are on leave follow a healthier eating program, and many even lose weight during this period. When all these data are put together, it is seen that taking annual leave is as useful as starting exercise or quitting smoking on metabolic syndrome.

Take Short But Frequent Vacations

According to the research, it is important to take a total of 14 days of leave a year for all these positive effects. The more times you take a vacation, the more the effect increases. While the positive effects on metabolic syndrome are 24 percent when people take their first vacation, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome decreases by 8 percent with each new vacation added. This means that it is more effective to take leave intermittently and frequently than to use the total period of your leave at once. It doesn't matter what season the vacation is taken.

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