Night shift workers are at greater risk of chronic health conditions if they eat during their shift.
A new study out of South Australia found people who ate meals or snacks overnight had significantly worse glucose tolerance compared to those who fasted.
University of Adelaide Professor Leonie Heilbron said the study involved a six-day trial with 55 adults in the healthy BMI range, who don’t usually work night shifts.
Professor Heilbron said participants were divided into three groups: those who fasted at night, those who had snacks and those who ate full meals.
She said all participants stayed awake for four nights and slept during the day, with a recovery day on day five to re-establish normal sleeping and eating cycles and blood glucose testing on day six.
“We found that blood glucose skyrocketed for those who ate full meals at night and those who snacked, while the people who fasted at night showed an increase in insulin secretion which kept blood sugar levels balanced.
“We know shift workers are more likely to have diabetes, they’re more likely to have heart disease, and they’re more likely to be overweight. Our research suggests that meal timing could be a major contributor to those issues.”
Professor Heilbron said insulin sensitivity was disrupted among all participants, regardless of their eating habits, adding to the body of evidence that night shifts caused circadian misalignment and impaired glucose metabolism.
“When you eat a meal, your body secretes insulin, and that insulin helps your muscles and other tissues to take up glucose. If you become resistant to insulin, then you can’t take up that glucose as effectively into your muscles and if it continues, that potentially puts you at risk of diabetes.”
Read the full study: Fasting as an intervention to alter the impact of simulated night-shift work on glucose metabolism in healthy adults: a cluster randomised controlled trial.
