Shift Work Tied to Increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk

By Diane Fennell Shift work is linked to an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to new research from China. An estimated 25.8 million people in the United States and 108 million people in China now have Type 2, with a predicted total of 380 million people expected to have the condition worldwide by 2025. Previous research has linked shift work to a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders, and certain cancers, as well as to both reduced glucose tolerance and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in women. The results regarding diabetes, however, have been inconsistent. To further evaluate the relationship between shift work and Type 2, investigators from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University conducted a meta-analysis (analysis of data from several clinical trials) of 12 international studies involving 226,500 people, 14,600 of whom had diabetes. Pooling the results from all of the studies, the researchers found that any period of shift work was linked with a 9% increase in Type 2 diabetes risk compared to working normal office hours. According to Robert Glatter, MD, of Lenox Hill Hospital, one likely explanation for the increased risk is the disruption of typical eating and sleeping patterns. Eating late at night, he suggests, may increase the likelihood of the calories being stored as fat, upping a person's chances of obesity and, therefore, ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs