August 8, 2006
MEN who work a mixture of night and day shifts have a far higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
Those who regularly work rotating shifts are three times more likely to develop the disease than those who work normal hours. And they are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease than those who work a regular nine-to-five routine.
More than two million men in Britain - or nearly one in five male workers - carry out regular shift work, many of these on a rotating basis.
Last year, a study of oil rig workers found those who followed seven-night shifts with seven day shifts were most at risk of heart disease, diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
And in 2003, two studies published in the U.S.
suggested women who work night shifts increase their risk of breast cancer by up to 60 per cent.
For the latest study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers in Japan followed more than 14,000 male shift workers.
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