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Nightshift Work and Nighttime Eating Are Associated With Higher Insulin and Leptin Levels in Hospital Nurses
Hylton E Molzof1, Courtney M Peterson2, S Justin Thomas3
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Sleep Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.
Frontiers in Endocrinology
|May 26, 2022
Summary
Night shift work increases insulin and leptin levels, impacting cardiometabolic health. Eating during the day may help reduce these negative effects for night shift nurses.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic Health
- Chronobiology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Circadian misalignment, common in shiftwork, negatively affects cardiometabolic health.
- Shiftwork disrupts the body's natural rhythms, influencing hormones like insulin and leptin.
- Understanding these hormonal changes is crucial for mitigating health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare insulin and leptin levels between day and night shift nurses.
- To investigate if meal timing influences these hormone levels in night shift workers.
Main Methods:
- 18 female nurses (8 day shift, 10 night shift) provided diet records.
- A 24-hour inpatient stay involved blood sampling every 3 hours.
- Insulin and leptin levels were analyzed using generalized additive models.
Main Results:
- Night shift nurses had significantly higher mean insulin (11.6 ± 3.8 mU/L) and leptin (7.4 ± 3.4 ng/ml) levels.
- Among night shift nurses, eating primarily at night (21:00-06:00) correlated with higher insulin and leptin.
- Conversely, consuming most calories during daytime (06:00-21:00) was associated with lower levels.
Conclusions:
- Night shift work is linked to elevated insulin and leptin levels.
- The timing of food intake significantly modulates these hormonal responses.
- Daytime eating may mitigate adverse metabolic effects of night shift work.
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