Research

Hormonal

Extended duration of rotating night shift work (defined as ≥3 nights/month) is associated with a modestly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women, independent of lifestyle factors.

If you work rotating night shifts, your risk for type 2 diabetes is higher than day workers, even if you maintain a healthy weight. This is due to biological disruption of your body's internal clock, not just lifestyle choices. You should prioritize regular medical screening for blood sugar levels and discuss specific circadian health strategies with your healthcare provider, as standard lifestyle advice may need to be adapted for shift work.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Our results suggest that an extended period of rotating night shift work is associated with a modestly increased risk of type 2 diabetes in women, which appears to be partly mediated through body weight.
An Pan et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2011

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort studies (NHS I and II) with long follow-up (18-20 years) and rigorous adjustment for confounders, though observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Rotating Night Shift Work and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Two Prospective Cohort Studies in Women

An Pan et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2011

DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001141

cohort · n=177184Cited 802×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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