Women who work night shifts have an increased risk of developing various types of cancer, according to research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, of the American Cancer Society.
This is an analysis of 61 studies evaluated by a scientific team from the Medical Center of Sichuan University in West China and conducted on 3,9 million people in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
According to the findings of this study, long night work increases the risk of cancer by 19%. Specifically, the risk was 41% higher for skin cancer, 32% for breast cancer and 18% for gastrointestinal cancer, compared with women who did not work at night on a permanent basis.
The researchers also reported that the increase in breast cancer was found only in women who work at night in North America and Europe. They also speculate that European and American women have elevated levels of hormones that contribute to cancer.
Finally, night nurses had a significantly higher risk of developing breast cancer (58%), as well as gastrointestinal cancer (35%) and lung cancer (28%).