Poor Eating Habits May Contribute to Health Risks of Shift Work

In an analysis of NHANES data from 2005 to 2010, shift workers were more likely to have diets that promote chronic inflammation. When researchers calculated a “dietary inflammatory index” (DII) for each individual using data from a 24-hour dietary recall, average DII scores were 1.01 for shift workers, 1.07 for rotating shift workers, and 0.86 for day workers. Women had higher DII values than men: evening/night shift workers had an average DII of 1.48, compared with 1.17 for day workers. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine findings suggest that poor eating habits may contribute to some of the health risks associated with shift work.