Work is a health hazard...

A rotten job and lack of friends can cut years off your life, an expert claimed today. Professor Michael Marmot gathered evidence from around the world showing that the higher up the social ladder people are, the longer they live.

The rule even applies in Hollywood. A US study showed that Oscar winners lived an average of four years longer than trophyless film stars. Professor Marmot, of University College London, said that having little control over one's job and poor social engagement were the two most important lifelimiting factors.

He said they could be as hazardous to health as a fatty diet and smoking - and both were linked to low socio-economic status. Professor Marmot worked on The Whitehall Studies in the Seventies, which looked at how social status affected civil servants.

His new book, Status Syndrome, shows how he has since found similar patterns worldwide.

He said: "Position in the social hierarchy is clearly related to health, well being and length of life."