News at HSPHWomen who work the night shift may face a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women who work days. A team led by HSPH nutrition researcher An Pan—examining data on more than 69,000 U.S. women tracked from 1988 to 2008 as part of the Nurses’ Health Study—found that the longer women worked nights, the greater their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Women who worked regular night shifts for three to nine years faced a 6% rise in risk; women who’d done so for 10 to 19 years, a 9% rise; and those who’d worked at night for 20 years, a 20% rise. In a June 27, 2011 article in US News & World Report, Pan said that while weight gain accounted for some of the increased diabetes risk, it did not explain all of it.
The HSPH team’s findings were presented on July 17 in San Diego at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association.
