Is a “gut full” of bad bugs driving metabolic disease in shift workers?

Shift workers make up a significant proportion of the total workforce in industrialised countries, with about one in five employees working during night time hours.1 There is strong epidemiological evidence that these workers are at increased risk for developing obesity, type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer.2 Furthermore, obesity can contribute to worsening of other conditions that are commonly suffered by shift workers such as sleep apnoea. The mechanisms that promote obesity and metabolic disease amongst shift workers are thought to arise from an imposed chronic disruption and misalignment between circadian rhythms, sleep cycles and eating patterns.
Source: Sleep Medicine Reviews - Category: Sleep Medicine Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research