Night Shift Workers Who Ate Only During the Day... Clinical Results 'Surprise'

Meal Timing During Night Shifts Can Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Eating Only During the Day Reduces Health Risks for Night Shift Workers

A clinical trial has found that people working night shifts can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by not eating at night and only eating during the day. Night shift work is known to be a factor that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

A clinical trial has shown that people working night shifts can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with night work by not eating at night and only eating during the day. The photo is a meal-related stock image to help understand the article. Photo by Pexels

On the 9th, a team led by Professor Frank Sheer from Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School in the United States reported these results in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The research team stated, "Even night shift workers can avoid the risk of shift work-related cardiovascular disease by eating only during the day," adding, "This suggests that meal timing may be a greater risk factor for cardiovascular health related to shift work than sleep timing."

The research team had 20 healthy adult participants stay in a space where they could not tell the time for two weeks at a clinical research center. The team induced night shift work and controlled meal times while measuring changes in bodily functions to analyze the effects of night work and meal timing. All participants stayed awake for 32 hours under dim lighting, maintained a fixed posture, ate the same snacks every hour, and then participated in simulated night shifts. However, some were assigned to a group that ate during both day and night, while others were assigned to a group that ate only during the day.

Subsequently, various cardiovascular risk factors such as autonomic nervous system indicators, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (which increases thrombosis risk), and blood pressure were measured. Participants who ate only during the day maintained cardiovascular risk factors at the same levels before and after night shifts. In contrast, participants who ate during both day and night showed increases in all risk factors compared to baseline after night shifts.

A clinical trial has shown that people working night shifts can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with night work by not eating at night and only having meals during the day. The photo is a meal-related stock image to aid understanding of the article. Photo by Pixabay

Professor Sarah Chellappa, the first author and co-corresponding author of the paper, stated, "Because all factors were controlled, the difference in cardiovascular risk factors after night shifts between the two groups can be attributed to the 'difference in meal timing' rather than sleep duration or the act of eating itself." The research team suggested, "These results imply that controlling meal timing can improve the health of night shift workers," and evaluated that "avoiding or limiting meals during nighttime hours could be beneficial for night shift workers or those suffering from insomnia or sleep-wake disorders."

Many studies have confirmed that shift work is a factor that causes cardiovascular diseases, such as increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) even classifies shift work as a Group 2A carcinogen, warning of its dangers. If avoiding shift work is impossible, it is important to adopt proper habits to maintain health as much as possible. After work, using blackout curtains to darken indoor spaces is recommended. Additionally, one should avoid lying down immediately after eating and ideally sleep 3 to 4 hours after meals. Efforts should be made to secure 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily, drink plenty of water, and avoid excessive carbohydrate intake.