28 Jul Shift Work May Raise Risk of Diabetes

Posted at 19:42h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Circadian Rhythm, Diabetes, Occupational Health by

Professor Zuxun Lu School of Public Health Tongii Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhun, Hubei, China.MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Professor  Zuxun Lu
School of Public Health
Tongii Medical College
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Wuhun, Hubei, China.

Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?

Prof. Lu: The main finding of this systematic review and meta-analysis was that shift work is associated with an increased risk of diabetes mellitus (DM). The association between shift work and DM appeared to be independent of physical activity, family of history of DM and body mass index. We found that the increased risk of diabetes mellitus was more pronounced in rotating shift group and male shift workers than in other shift group and female shift workers, respectively.

Medical Research: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Prof. Lu: We found that the rotating shift group and male shift workers were at higher risk of diabetes mellitus than other shift groups and female shift workers, respectively.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Prof. Lu: It would be helpful for clinicians to advise patients who have early symptoms of diabetes mellitus or family history of diabetes mellitus to limit their exposure to shift work. Additionally, the increased risk of diabetes mellitus apparent in rotating shift group and male shift workers, suggests that people who do shift work should pay more attention to the prevention of diabetes mellitus.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Prof. Lu: More prospective cohort studies with long follow-up period are warranted to confirm our subgroup findings and reveal the underlying biological mechanism.

Citation:

Y. Gan, C. Yang, X. Tong, H. Sun, Y. Cong, X. Yin, L. Li, S. Cao, X. Dong, Y. Gong, O. Shi, J. Deng, H. Bi, Z. Lu. Shift work and diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2014; DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2014-102150

 

Last Updated on October 24, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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