Lifestyle
Shift work linked to organ disease
By Sue Mueller
Apr 7, 2008 - 2:57:58 PM

MONDAY April 7, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Disruption of a person’ natural sleep-wake cycle or circadian rhythm could increase risk for organ disease, according to the University of Toronto researchers who published their finding recently in the journal of American Physiology.

Shift work, sleep deprivation and jet lag all disrupt the circadian rhythm of the body's cycle, which controls body temperature, sleep-wake timing and the way the organs and body systems work together.

Early studies have showed long-term irregular sleep patterns and shift work is harmful to even the healthiest people.

"Biological clocks and their rhythms are important for health, but there are virtually no experimental data demonstrating a casual link between circadian dysregulation and organ pathology,” said Martin Ralph, Psychology Professor at the University and a lead investigator of the study.

"We knew that circadian rhythm disruption had been linked with reduced longevity so we decided to try and find out where, why and how longevity is compromised."

The team led by Dr. Michael Sole from the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at the University Health Network and at the University of Toronto found long term disruption of normal circadian rhythms can eventually result in heart and kidney disease.