Night shifts may cause DNA damage: Study

PTI Updated on January 27, 2019

For the study published in the journal Anaesthesia, researchers analysed blood samples of 49 healthy full-time doctors taken at different times



Working night shifts can damage a person’s DNA, increasing the risk of cancer as well as cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases, a study has found.

“Although this work is very preliminary, it is clear from the results that even a single night of sleep deprivation can trigger events that may contribute to the development of chronic disease,” said Siu-Wai Choi, of the University of Hong Kong.

Researchers found that on-call doctors who were required to work overnight on-site had lower DNA repair gene expression and more DNA breaks than those who did not work overnight.

In these overnight on-site call doctors, DNA repair gene expression decreased and DNA breaks increased after sleep deprivation. Damaged DNA increased after only one night of sleep deprivation.

More:
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/night-shifts-may-cause-dna-damage-study/article26103968.ece