Abstract
Working outside of regular daytime hours is increasingly common in current societies and poses a substantial challenge to an individual’s biological rhythm. Disruptions of the gastrointestinal tract’s circadian rhythm and poor dietary choices subsequent to shiftwork may predispose the shift workforce to an increased risk of gastrointestinal disorders, including constipation, peptic ulcer disease, and erosive gastritis. We investigated bowel health in a US population of shift workers, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and compared bowel movement (BM) frequency and defecation patterns between 2007 day workers and 458 shift workers (representing 55,305,037 US workers). Using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression techniques, our results suggested no association between shiftwork status and BM frequency, bowel leakage of gas, and stool consistency. Constipation prevalence was high but comparable in both groups (6.90% vs. 7.09%). The low fiber intake observed in both groups (15.07 vs. 16.75 g/day) could play a potential role here. The two groups did not differ with regard to other nutrients that may influence BM frequency and stool consistency (e.g., carbohydrate or caffeine intake). Additional studies including food group analyses and fecal biomarkers are warranted for a better understanding of GI health in shift workers.
Highlights
Working outside of regular daytime hours is increasingly common in modern societies [1]
We investigated whether shiftwork status was associated with higher odds for constipation after adjusting for confounders
These covariates were used in a third model, where we investigated whether shiftwork status was associated with higher odds for diarrhea
Summary
Working outside of regular daytime hours is increasingly common in modern societies [1]. The increasing need for services operating on a 24 h basis, in healthcare and transport, causes workers to routinely work on the basis of shift schedules [2]. Shiftwork and rotating shift schedules are a challenge to an individual’s biological rhythms and lead to alterations in the biological clock [2,3]. Subsequent disruptions in the body’s circadian rhythm may negatively affect psychosocial wellbeing and nutrition intake [3]. Due to frequently changing day routines, shift workers are often forced to eat on an irregular basis [4,5]. The result is an increased consumption of meals that are high in fat, sugar, processed grains, and animal products (dairy and meat in particular) [3,6,7]
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