Study: Shift schedules not as unhealthy as they used to be
Hormone changes can be minimized
Recent changes in how shift work is scheduled may help reduce the health risks faced by people who worked certain shifts in the past, a new study suggests.
"Recent research has suggested shift work could increase the risk of cancer, although the biological mechanism responsible for this observation is still unknown," the study's lead author, Anne Grundy, a doctoral student in the Queen's University department of community health and epidemiology in Ontario, said in a university news release. "Our study indicates that the now common rotating shift pattern of day-day-night-night may not disrupt circadian rhythm or melatonin production significantly."