Working Night Shifts May Increase Risk of Heart Disease, Cancer

A study found that three days of being on a night shift schedule has the potential to disrupt metabolism.

Obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes – the risk of all these diseases goes up if you work night shifts. I’m not saying this to be an alarmist. A study, undertaken by scientists from Washington State University (WSU), says this.

The research revealed that different organs have a mind of their own and there is a separate biological clock for the liver, gut, and pancreas. This negates the age-old notion that our body is driven by the brain’s master clock.

Hans Van Dongen from the university explained that before this it wasn’t known that biological clocks in people’s digestive systems quickly change according to our night work schedules, but the brain’s master clock barely adapts to such schedules. PTI quoted him as saying:

As a result, some biological signals in shift workers’ bodies are saying it is day while other signals are saying it is night, which causes disruption of metabolism.

Hans Van Dongen, Washington State University