12/10/2011 03:58:00 AM
Working rotating shifts can affect the body's ability to properly use insulin to break down sugars in the blood and promotes the likelihood for developing type 2 diabetes.
Working rotating shifts may promote the likelihood for developing type 2 diabetes. Scientists at Harvard School of Public Health have found that women who work during the hours that most people are sleeping can affect the body's ability to properly use insulin to break down sugars in the blood. The details of the study appear in the journal PloS Medicine.
For the 26 percent of Americans who perform shift work during the overnight hours, the grim news adds to concerning findings of previous research that night work interferes with the body’s circadian rhythm, which increases the risk of such medical issues as heart disease, obesity, and ulcers, as well as raises the risk for suffering from depression.
The focus of the analysis, which involved nearly 177,000 women ages 25 to 67, was on those who work rotating shifts, defined for purposes of the study as working three or more nights a month, plus days and evenings. All of the study participants were enrolled in one of two Nurses’ Health Studies.
Findings of the analysis revealed that women who worked rotating night shifts for one to two years faced an increased risk of 5 percent in developing diabetes, over a 20-year follow-up period, in comparison to women who did not work nights shifts.
Among women who works nights for 10 to 19 years, the increase in risk jumped to 40 percent, while working rotating night shifts for more than two decades was found to be associated with a 58 percent increase in risk for develping the condition.
Part of the problem may be due to night workers putting on extra pounds from snacking during hours when the body would normally be sleeping. The body’s metabolism naturally slows down at night, which likely prevents the extra calorie intake from being burned off, and causes it to be stored as fat, and being overweight is a known risk factor for diabetes.
In addition, sleeping at odd hours, or not getting enough sleep, can disrupt the metabolism and cause a boost to the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, and a drop in the level of the appetite-curbing hormone leptin.
The body’s circadian clock is also indirectly responsible for regulating body weight, by controlling body temperature and blood glucose levels. According to senior study author Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, it remains unclear as to whether or not people who routinely work at night have the ability to adjust their internal body clocks to avoid an increase in the risk of diabetes.
Hu says, “The bottom line is there are probably multiple mechanisms through which disrupted sleep patterns or long term rotating night shift work can influence the risk of Type 2 diabetes.” Regarding the cumulative effect of working night shifts, he noted, “It’s something people should keep in mind. If they minimize or reduce the time they work on night shifts, they may be able to attenuate their risk.”
Diabetes is diagnosed in about one in 12 American adults, while about 346 million people worldwide live with the condition. The majority suffer from type 2 diabetes, which is typically caused by excess body weight and physical inactivity. As the disease progresses, damage to vital organs, such as kidneys, nerves and the heart may occur.
If you perform rotating shift work, you can minimize your risk for developing diabetes by getting adequate sleep to diminish the effects of sleep deprivation suffered while working during overnight hours. In addition, commit to a daily exercise routine to improve your quality of sleep, and minimize caffeine intake during night work hours to prevent sleep interference after your shift.
Posted in: HEALTH
