Context
Although the metabolic health effects of shift work have been extensively studied,
a systematic synthesis of the available research is lacking. This review aimed to
systematically summarize the available evidence of longitudinal studies linking shift
work with metabolic risk factors.
Evidence acquisition
A systematic literature search was performed in 2015. Studies were included if (1)
they had a longitudinal design; (2) shift work was studied as the exposure; and (3)
the outcome involved a metabolic risk factor, including anthropometric, blood glucose,
blood lipid, or blood pressure measures.
Evidence synthesis
Eligible studies were assessed for their methodologic quality in 2015. A best-evidence
synthesis was used to draw conclusions per outcome. Thirty-nine articles describing
22 studies were included. Strong evidence was found for a relation between shift work
and increased body weight/BMI, risk for overweight, and impaired glucose tolerance.
For the remaining outcomes, there was insufficient evidence.
Conclusions
Shift work seems to be associated with body weight gain, risk for overweight, and
impaired glucose tolerance. Overall, lack of high–methodologic quality studies and
inconsistency in findings led to insufficient evidence in assessing the relation between
shift work and other metabolic risk factors. To strengthen the evidence, more high-quality
longitudinal studies that provide more information on the shift work schedule (e.g.,
frequency of night shifts, duration in years) are needed. Further, research to the
(mediating) role of lifestyle behaviors in the health effects of shift work is recommended,
as this may offer potential for preventive strategies.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 22, 2016
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© 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
