Night work does not have a good reputation in the medical community. Already associated with obesity, diabetes and at cognitive declineit would also increase the risk of dying prematurely and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
For 22 years, researchers analyzed the medical records and work patterns of 75,000 American nurses from the Nurses’ Health Study cohort.
The results of the study reveal that the harmful effects of night work are felt after 6 years. Volunteers with staggered hours had an 11% increased risk of early mortality from all diseases.
Women who worked night shifts between the ages of 6 and 15 had an 11% increased risk of early mortality from all diseases and a 19% increased risk of heart disease.
Those who worked under these conditions for more than 15 years had a 23% increased risk of death from heart disease and a 25% increased risk of death from lung cancer.
This new study confirms the findings of Canadian research published in 2013 in the scientific journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. She asserted that women who had worked at night for less than 29 years did not present an increased risk of breast canceron the other hand those who have exercised their professional activity at night for 30 years or more present a more than double risk of breast cancer.
In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared night work a carcinogenic factor. For the WHO, the role of the biological clock in cardiovascular health and anti-tumor activity no longer needs to be proven.
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