Working in shifts heightens type 2 diabetes risk in men

A new study has revealed that shift work heightens the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and the risk is seemingly greatest among men.

The researchers, who retrieved 12 international studies out of a potential total of 448, involving more than 226,500 participants, 14,600 of whom had diabetes, found that any period of shift work was associated with a 9 percent increased risk of developing diabetes compared with working normal office hours.

It was also revealed that this heightened risk rose to 37 percent for men, after further analysis to look at the potential effects of gender, study design, study location, job, shift schedule, body mass index (BMI), family history of diabetes and physical activity levels.

While, the scientists found that rotating shifts, in which people work different parts of the 24 hour cycle on a regular basis, rather than a fixed pattern, were associated with the highest risk: 42 percent.

The study was published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.