Diabetes risk for night workers

It seems working late into the night now not only disrupts your social life and biological clock, but it can also put you at a higher risk of developing diabetes.

New research conducted by Harvard School of Public Health indicated the risk of developing Type 2diabetes was more pronounced in young women who work nightshifts.

“There are many hormones and chemicals in the body that are secreted depending on the diurnal rhythm of the body. A number of smaller studies have also suggested that an alteration in diurnal rhythm leads to a change in hormone secretion, thus resulting in insulin resistance, a prerequisite for Type 2 diabetes,” Dr Satish Babu, a consultant endocrinologist and diabetologist, said.

Dr Babu said it was now known that people who have sleep-related disorders are prone to diabetes and cardiac problems.

“In general, people working nightshifts are at a higher risk of hormonal changes that make them overweight and cause insulin resistance in the body. Also, for those working nightshifts, there is a significant change in stress hormones, thus leading to insulin resistance,” he added.

These factors elevate the risk of developing diabetes; however, the reason why only women were focused on in this study remains unclear.

While late-night work has become part of life for many women working in the health sector in Bangalore, diabetologists observe that both men and women are at equal risk of developing diabetes.

The survey of more than 69,000 women from 1988 to 2008 indicated 6,200 women developed Type 2 diabetes over the course of study.

Women who worked nightshifts regularly for three to nine years had a 6% increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, women who worked late into the night for 10 to19 years had a 9% risk, and those who worked nightshifts 20 years or more faced a 20% risk.

However, diabetologists confirmed the primary risk of Type 2 diabetes is also dependant on family history.

“If the parents, especially the mother, have diabetes, the risk of children developing the disease is high. However, family history of diabetes was not considered in this study,” Dr Babu said.

One common observation was that those who work nightshifts, especially in the West, tend to eat junk food, consume large amounts of energy drinks, follow a “calorie-loaded diet”, and therefore run a higher risk of developing diabetes and other related problems like obesity and high cholesterol.

Do you work nightshifts? If so, are you concerned about the findings of this study? Let us know by commenting in the box below.