Influence of Shift Work on Arterial Stiffness and Systemic Inflammation: A 3-Year Follow-up Study in Industry

The association between dairy intake in adolescents on inflammation and risk markers of type 2 diabetes during young adulthood: results of the DONALD study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this analysis was to investigate whether habitual intake of total dairy (TD) or different dairy types (liquid, solid, fermented, non-fermented, low-fat, high-fat, low-sugar and high-sugar dairy) during adolescence is associated with biomarkers of low-grade inflammation as well as risk factors of type 2 diabetes in young adulthood.

DESIGN

Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to investigate prospective associations between estimated TD intake as well as intake of different types of dairy and a pro-inflammatory score, based on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, IL-6, IL-18, leptin and adiponectin, and insulin resistance assessed as Homeostasis Model Assessment Insulin Resistance in an open-cohort study.

SETTING

Dortmund, Germany.

PARTICIPANTS

Data from participants (n 375) of the DOrtmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) study were included, for whom at least two 3-d weighed dietary records during adolescence (median age: 11 years) and one blood sample in young adulthood (>18 years) were available.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant association between TD intake or intake of any dairy type and the pro-inflammatory score (all P > 0·05). TD intake as well as each dairy type intake and insulin resistance also showed no association (all P > 0·05).

CONCLUSIONS

The habitual intake of dairy or individual types of dairy during adolescence does not seem to have a major impact on low-grade systemic inflammation and insulin resistance in the long term. There was no indication regarding a restriction of dairy intake for healthy children and adolescents in terms of diabetes risk reduction.

Current perspective on circadian function of the kidney

Behavior and function of living systems are synchronized by the 24-h rotation of the Earth that guides physiology according to time of day. However, when behavior becomes misaligned from the light-dark cycle, such as in rotating shift work, jet lag, and even unusual eating patterns, adverse health consequences such as cardiovascular or cardiometabolic disease can arise. The discovery of cell-autonomous molecular clocks expanded interest in regulatory systems that control circadian physiology including within the kidney, where function varies along a 24-h cycle. Our understanding of the mechanisms for circadian control of physiology is in the early stages, and so the present review provides an overview of what is known and the many gaps in our current understanding. We include a particular focus on the impact of eating behaviors, especially meal timing. A better understanding of the mechanisms guiding circadian function of the kidney is expected to reveal new insights into causes and consequences of a wide range of disorders involving the kidney, including hypertension, obesity, and chronic kidney disease.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Decreases Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study in Industry

BACKGROUND

We aimed to determine if maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max), resting heart rate (RHR), and self-reported leisure- time moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) changed over a 3-year follow-up (FU) among industrial workers.

METHODS

We assessed cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) August 2018 and August 2021. The last 17-18 months coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from 86 participants were collected; demographics by questionnaire and cardiovascular outcomes from medical examination: V˙O2max, RHR, and fat mass (%). Workers reported on their leisure-time MVPA twice. To assess changes in health outcomes we applied a linear mixed model, adjusting for baseline (BL) age, sex, pack-years, shift work, and a 5-month plant shutdown. Further, we adjusted for actual age instead of BL age.

RESULTS

V˙O2max decreased from 39.6 mL/kg/min at BL to 34.0 at FU, a reduction of 5.6 mL/kg/min (95%CI, -7.6, -3.7). Adjusted for actual age, the corresponding figure for V˙O2max was 5.4 mL/kg/min, (95%CI, -7.4, -3.4), an annual loss of 4.6%. RHR increased from 61.3 to 64.4 beats per minute (95%CI, 0.8, 5.4). Self-reported MVPA decreased by 43.9 min/week, (95%CI, -73.5, -14.4).

CONCLUSIONS

We observed a decrease in V˙O2max, an increase in RHR and a decrease in self-reported MVPA, suggesting physical inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uncovering Novel Biomarkers of Inflammation as Potential Screening Targets of Disease Risk in Healthcare Shift Workers: A Pilot Study

Shift work, experienced by nearly 30% of the U.S. workforce, is hazardous to health and has become a pervasive labor practice in the healthcare sector worldwide. It increases the risk of stroke, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Nonetheless, specific screening targets for shift workers still need to be defined. In this study, we have begun uncovering these targets as specific low-grade systemic inflammation markers and functional endotoxin-elicited responses that may foreshadow disease risk in shift workers. One hundred four participants (normothermic and normotensive) were healthy, non-smoking, and drug- and medication-free volunteers recruited from Atlanta area hospitals and medical schools. We assessed the concentration of three proteins in plasma samples from day workers and shift workers (lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, IL-10, and TNF-α), and the relationship between these baseline biomarkers and their response to an ex-vivo endotoxin challenge. We show that shift work increases low-grade systemic inflammation and disrupts discrete endotoxin responses. As shift work exposure increases, the correlation between low-grade systemic inflammation markers and their endotoxin responses was disrupted; this effect was more robust for TNF-α than for IL-10. With increased shift work exposure, these events, alone or combined, represent potential systemic and functional signals that may be harnessed to develop screening tools to identify at-risk individuals.

The Prolonged Effect of Shift Work and the Impact of Reducing the Number of Nightshifts on Arterial Stiffness-A 4-Year Follow-Up Study

AIM

To assess changes in blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness among 84 rotating shift and 25 dayworkers (control subjects) at two industrial plants during a 4-year follow-up, and to assess changes in outcome variables among shift workers at the two plants after a reduction in the number of night shifts during the last year of follow-up in one of the plants.

METHODS

We collected demographic data using a questionnaire, examined systolic and diastolic blood pressure (sBP, dBP), central systolic and diastolic aorta pressure (cSP, cDP), augmentation pressure (AP), central pulse pressure (cPP), and pulse wave velocity (PWV). We registered sleep quality. The last 4-14 months of follow-up one plant implemented a 12-week shift plan reducing the total number of night shifts and consecutive night shifts from 16.8 to 14 and from 7.2 to 4. To assess differences in change of outcomes between study groups we applied linear mixed models.

RESULTS

The dayworkers were older, more hypertensive, reported less sleep disturbance, and smoked/snuffed less than the shift workers did. The adjusted annual increase in PWV was 0.34 m/s (95%CI, 0.22, 0.46) among shift workers and 0.09 m/s (95%CI, -0.05, 0.23) in dayworkers, yielding a significant difference of change of 0.25 m/s (95%CI, 0.06, 0.43). No significant differences were found between the two groups of shift workers in any cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcome during the last year of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Shift work in industry is associated with arterial stiffness, reflecting an increased risk of future CVD. No significant changes in arterial stiffness were identified as a consequence of a small reduction in the number of night shifts and consecutive night shifts.