Food Timing May Matter For Shift Workers’ Health
Previous research suggests that night shift work is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, largely due to circadian misalignment — a mismatch between the body’s internal clock and external behaviors like sleeping, eating, and working. To learn more about the role that meal timing might play, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts conducted a two-week randomized controlled trial of 20 healthy young adults. The participants engaged in simulated night shift work and were split into two groups: One ate during both the day and night, like typical night shift workers. The other group ate only during daytime hours, despite being awake at night.
The researchers found that participants who ate during both the day and night experienced increased cardiovascular risk factors after the simulated night work. These included higher blood pressure, increased levels of a protein linked to higher blood clot risk, and changes in autonomic nervous system markers. Those who ate only during the daytime maintained stable cardiovascular markers. The results suggest that restricting food intake to daytime hours could help mitigate cardiovascular risks for night shift workers.
Try this recipe today: Hemp Crusted Salmon
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