B. Karlsson et al., Is there an association between shift work and having a metabolic syndrome? Results from a population based study of 27,485 people, OCC ENVIR M, 58(11), 2001, pp. 747-752
Citations number
26
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Pharmacology & Toxicology
Objectives-To explore how metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease
(CVD) differ between shift workers and day workers in a defined population
. Shift work has been associated with an increased risk of CVD. Risk factor
s and causal pathways for this association are only partly known.
Methods-A working population of 27 485 people from the Vasterbotten interve
ntion program (VIP) has been analysed. Cross sectional data, including bloo
d sampling and questionnaires were collected in a health survey.
Results-Obesity was more prevalent among shift workers in all age strata of
women, but only in two out of four age groups in men. Increased triglyceri
des (>1.7 mmol/l) were more common among two age groups of shift working wo
men but not among men. Low concentrations of high density lipoprotein (HDL)
cholesterol (men <0.9 and women <1.0 mmol/l) were present in the youngest
age group of shift workers in both men and women. Impaired glucose toleranc
e was more often found among 60 year old women shift workers. Obesity and h
igh triglycerides persisted as risk factors in shift working men and women
after adjusting for age and socioeconomic factors, with an OR of 1.4 for ob
esity and 1.1 for high triglyceride concentrations. The relative risks for
women working shifts versus days with one, two, and three metabolic variabl
es were 1.06, 1.20, and 1.71, respectively. The corresponding relative risk
s for men were 0.99, 1.30, and 1.63, respectively.
Conclusions-In this study, obesity, high triglycerides, and low concentrati
ons of HDL cholesterol seem to cluster together more often in shift workers
than in day workers, which might indicate an association between shift wor
k and the metabolic syndrome.