MOSCOW, November 2. The length of shift work creates risks of disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system and metabolism to a greater extent than a person’s age, TMU scientists reported. According to them, this is especially true for people who tend to sleep later. The study was published in the journal Chronobiology International.
As the university reported, experts studied the physiological and biochemical indicators of the subjects, and also asked them to fill out a questionnaire to determine the genetic characteristics of the body’s circadian rhythms (chronotype) and sleep quality.
According to the results of the study, it turned out that an increase in one of the markers of insulin sensitivity (a risk factor for metabolic disorders and diabetes) correlates more strongly with length of service and work schedule than with age.
This may be due to constant changes in environmental conditions and operating modes, which cause additional problems for the human circadian system, noted Denis Gubin, professor of the Department of Biology at Tyumen Medical University (TMU).
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"It’s curious what exactly Among people with a late chronotype, the so-called night owls, the risk of metabolic disorders tends to be higher. Perhaps this is how adaptation selection among shift workers manifests itself,” Gubin said.
The university celebrated that the results of the work can be used to create recommendations for the prevention of disturbances in activity cycles (circadian disorders) in shift workers, including through light correction and the use of special drugs, chronobiotics.
Co-authors of the work became specialists from the Tyumen Cardiology Research Center of the Tomsk National Research Medical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Physiology of the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Halberg Center for Chronobiology of the University of Minnesota (USA), the Institute of Biology and Zoology of Martin Luther University (Germany).