NIGHT shift work can decimate your heart health make you more likely to develop two silent killer conditions – but switching up the timing of your meals may lower your risk.
The meal trick could protect night shift workers from the increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, researchers said.
GettyIf you work night shifts, the timing of your meals rather than your sleep might affect your health[/caption]Several previous studies have shown that working night shifts is associated with serious health risks, including to the heart.
This is because working at night throws off people’s body clock – as well as their mealtimes.
Now, a new study shows that only eating during the daytime even when working nights could help people avoid the health risks associated with shift work.
It suggests that the timing of meals might be a bigger risk factor for cardiovascular issues than the time people fall into bed.
Study senior author Professor Frank Scheer, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said: “Our prior research has shown that circadian misalignment – the mistiming of our behavioural cycle relative to our internal body clock – increases cardiovascular risk factors.
“We wanted to understand what can be done to lower this risk, and our new research suggests food timing could be that target.”
Animal studies have shown that aligning meals with the internal body clock could reduce the health risks of staying awake into the wee hours when we’d usually be sleeping.
This prompted Prof Scheer and his colleagues to test the concept in humans.
For the new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers enlisted 20 healthy young participants to a two-week in-patient study at the Brigham and Women’s Center for Clinical Investigation that mimicked the conditions of night work.
Participants had no access to windows, watches, or electronics that would clue their body clocks into the time.
Researchers were able to determine what effect circadian misalignment had on them by comparing how their body functions changed from before to after simulated night work.
Participants followed a “constant routine protocol” and stayed awake for 32 hours in a dimly lit environment, maintaining the same body posture and eating identical snacks every hour.
After that, they participated in simulated night work and were told to eat either during the night-time – as most night shift workers do – or only during the daytime.
Both groups had an identical nap schedule, so any differences between them were not due to differences in sleep schedule.
The research team examined how food timing affected participants’ cardiovascular health and how they changed after the simulated night work.
Researchers measured several cardiovascular risk factors, such as plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 – which increases the risk of blood clots – and blood pressure.
They found that the cardiovascular risk factors increased after simulated night work in participants who ate during the day and night.
But for people who only ate during the daytime, their cardiovascular markers stayed the same.
How to reduce your risk of heart attacks and stroke
You can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke with many of the same methods.
Heart attacks and strokes, although affecting different organs of the body, are both what we call cardiovascular events.
Both arise from similar underlying conditions, such as atherosclerosis —a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries.
According to the American Heart Association, the risk factors for heart attacks and strokes are largely the same: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes.
Therefore, addressing these risk factors can simultaneously reduce the risk of both conditions.
Here are ways you can prevent the two:
Healthy diet
More fruit and veg: The DASH, which emphasises fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve heart health. Less fats: Too much saturated and trans fats can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Go for healthier fats like those found in olive oil, nuts, and avocados. Limit salt: High salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for both heart attack and stroke. The NHS recommends no more than 6g of salt per day for adults. Fibre: Foods high in soluble fibre, such as oats and beans, can help lower cholesterol levels.Exercise
Walking, running, cycling, swimming – whatever you like, do it!
Aerobic exercise can strengthen the heart and improve circulation.
The NHS advises at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week.
Strength training exercises can help control weight, improve cholesterol levels, and reduce blood pressure. It is recommended twice a week by the NHS.
Manage blood pressure
Healthy diet and exercise can help keep your blood pressure in check.
But it is worth monitoring it yourself after the age of 40, at least, when the NHS invites adults for a check-up every five years.
High blood pressure often has no symptoms but significantly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Quit smoking
One of the best ways to quit smoking is to use resources provided by NHS Smokefree. Support groups, medications, and other tools to help quit smoking such as vapes could be what you need to kick the habit for good – and it’s free.
Limit booze
Excessive alcohol consumption can increase blood pressure and contribute to weight gain, which can snowball and become a heart health risk.
The NHS recommends not regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol per week.
The amount of food they ate and the content of their meals were no different to the first group – only the timing of their meals.
Study lead author Professor Sarah Chellappa, of the University of Southampton, added: “Our study controlled for every factor that you could imagine that could affect the results, so we can say that it’s the food timing effect that is driving these changes in the cardiovascular risk factors.”
Researchers said more research with larger samples and using people who actually follow shift work schedules is needed to show the long-term health effects of daytime compared to night-time eating.
But they described the results are “promising” and suggested that people could improve their health by adjusting the timing of their meals.
Prof Chellappa added that avoiding or limiting eating during night-time hours may benefit night workers, people who suffer from insomnia or sleep-wake disorders, people with variable sleep cycles, and those who often travel across time zones.
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