Working late-night shifts may wreck your body’s ability to repair its DNA

Screen Shot at PM

Working at night has been associated with a wide range of negative health effects, including cognitive impairment, metabolic disorders, and breast cancer…Now, new research examines how night shifts influence the body’s ability to repair its DNA.

In a previous study, [Parveen Bhatti, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington] showed that sleeping during the day correlated with lower levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), which is a chemical released as a byproduct by the body when it works to repair its own DNA.

The authors were therefore led to believe that these low levels of 8-OH-dG found in the urine may indicate the body’s impaired ability to repair its cellular damage.

To further explore this idea, Dr. Bhatti and colleagues set out to examine whether night work also correlates with reduced urinary levels of 8-OH-dG…[They] selected 50 shift workers from the 223 included in their former research.

“Our results,” write the authors, “indicate that, relative to night sleep, reduced melatonin production among shift workers during night work is associated with significantly reduced urinary excretion of 8-OH-dG.”

Dr. Bhatti and colleagues also explain what these results mean, saying, “This likely reflects a reduced capacity to repair oxidative DNA damage due to insufficient levels of melatonin and may result in cells harboring higher levels of DNA damage.”

[Read the full study here (behind paywall)]

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Working at night may interfere with DNA repair

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}
screenshot at  pm

Are pesticide residues on food something to worry about?

In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring drew attention to pesticides and their possible dangers to humans, birds, mammals and the ...
glp menu logo outlined

Newsletter Subscription

* indicates required
Email Lists
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.