Meta-analysis: Night-Shift Work and Type 2 Diabetes Incidence

Registration: PMCID: PMC11653577

Status: Published

Tags: Age & aging, BMI, Cardiometabolic, Cardiovascular, Circadian, Diabetes, Epidemiology, Evidence review, Exposure-response, General population, Health outcomes, Men’s health, Meta-analysis, Metabolic, Metabolic health, Mortality & longevity, Night-shift workers, Obesity, Occupational health, Real-world, Review, Rotating shift workers, Shift work, Systematic review, Women’s health

External URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11653577/

Summary

This cohort-based meta-analysis (9 papers, 10 cohorts; >235k participants) found that night-shift workers had about a 30% higher incidence of type 2 diabetes than day workers (HR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.18–1.43). The association was clear in women (HR = 1.28) and not statistically significant in men (wide CI, smaller samples). Risk appeared greater with higher BMI (significant for BMI > 30 kg/m²; not significant for ≤30 kg/m²) and rose with longer exposure (>5–10 years of night shifts showed higher risk than shorter durations). Findings were similar across medical and non-medical jobs and across regions.

Why It Matters For Night Shift Workers and Night Owls

The analysis ties working nights to a meaningful, time-dependent increase in diabetes risk, with stronger signals in women and in people with obesity. It spotlights schedule exposure itself—not just lifestyle—as a contributor to diabetes risk in large real-world cohorts.

Notes

PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39696306/

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