It is no surprise that working at night is linked in some way to health problems. In fact, it is proven that if our body stays active once the sun has set, they are more likely to increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, low fertility, heart attacks or tumors. But what is the mechanism that causes these diseases to appear?
Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that when people work at night they produce 80% less of a chemical substance (8-Oh-DG) that is a by-product related to repairing DNA tissue. Therefore, the body is not performing a crucial restoration of cells, something that occurs naturally at night. All this could be, according to the researchers, a lack of melatonin, the hormone that secretes during sleep and decreases in concentration for those who sleep throughout the day.
To reach these conclusions, the team led by Dr. Parveen Bhatti studied 50 night-shift workers to check their levels of the 8-Oh-DG chemical and found that when they performed their workday during the day, the levels found in their samples Of urine were 300% higher. Therefore, they believe it is necessary for these patients to take sleep hormone supplements to allow the DNA to perform the necessary repairs while they sleep through the day: “If such effects are confirmed, melatonin supplementation should be explored as a form of Reduce the risk of cancer among shift workers, “said Dr. Bhatti.
