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Improving Shift Workers Health: What Is the Role of Nutrition?

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 10611

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Claudia Roberta De Castro Moreno

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Health, Life Cycles and Society, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
2. Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
Interests: circadian rhythms; sleep; actigraphy; sleep disorders and sleep medicine; OSA; sleep disorders; polysomnography; sleep apnea; light; sleep, memory and learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last several decades, many studies on shift work have been carried out in both the field and the laboratory. In general, changes in habits and behaviors, as well as physiological changes, are observed in shift workers due to the inversion of light–dark cycle imposed by the work schedule, the suppression of melatonin production, and lifestyle changes.

This Special Issue is mainly dedicated to studies of interventions related to the use of food consumption aimed at mitigating such changes, but other interventions such as melatonin administration, napping, and exercise practice may also be included. Moreover, reviews on the topic are welcome.

In addition, studies on schedules and dietary suggestions for shift and night workers to address potential issues in this area will be included.

Prof. Dr. Claudia Roberta De Castro Moreno
Guest Editor

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Keywords

melatonin
exercise
shift work
sleep
food consumption

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 702 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“Mars Bar and a Tin of Red Bull Kept Me and My Patients Alive”: Exploring Barriers to Healthy Eating through Facebook Comments of Shiftworkers

by Emma McIntosh, Sally A. Ferguson, Jillian Dorrian, Alison M. Coates, Gloria Leung and Charlotte C. Gupta

Nutrients 2023, 15(4), 959; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15040959 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2343

Abstract

The negative impact of an unhealthy diet on the shiftworker population has been well-documented. However, little evidence exists on the underlying reasons for unhealthy eating behaviours and the existing barriers to healthy eating withinshiftwork environments. This qualitative study investigated the dietary behaviours reported by shiftworkers through Facebook comments. Comments were collected if they were on public shiftworker-relevant posts pertaining to dietary news or dietary information on Facebook and were posted by self-identified shiftworkers, relatives of shiftworkers, or partners of shiftworkers. A thematic analysis of the 144 comments collected generated four categories that can be used to understand the motivations for eating behaviour on-shift: what shiftworkers eat, where food is sourced from, when food is eaten, and why certain foods are chosen. Results reveal motivations, attitudes, and both internal and external barriers to healthy eating behaviours, as well as similarities and differences across shiftwork industries. Recommendations for future research include further explorations on the link between scheduled eating (e.g., time-restricted eating) and shiftwork, the impact of a rotating shift arrangements on dietary health behaviours, and the impact of interpersonal relationships on shiftworker dietary choices. Understanding these motivations will inform strategies to promote healthy eating and help understand barriers for shiftworkers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Shift Workers Health: What Is the Role of Nutrition?)

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17 pages, 1049 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cardiometabolic Biomarkers and Habitual Caffeine Consumption Associate with the Adverse Ambulatory Blood Pressure Response to Strenuous Physical Exertion among Firefighters

by Rachel S. Berkowsky, Amanda L. Zaleski, Beth A. Taylor, Ming-Hui Chen, Kim M. Gans, Yin Wu, Paul M. Parducci, Yiming Zhang, Antonio B. Fernandez and Linda S. Pescatello

Nutrients 2022, 14(19), 4025; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194025 - 28 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2347

Abstract

Caffeine has beneficial effects on firefighter job performance reducing fatigue and improving psychomotor vigilance. However, excessive caffeine intake may raise blood pressure (BP) following a bout of acute exercise among adults with elevated BP. The influence of caffeine intake on the ambulatory BP (ABP) response to vigorous physical exertion among firefighters has not been studied. In this sub-study we conducted secondary statistical analyses from a larger clinical trial (NCT04514354) that included examining the influence of habitual caffeine intake, and cardiometabolic biomarkers shown to influence BP, on the ABP response following a bout of sudden vigorous exertion over 19 h among firefighters. Previously, we found high amounts of calcium and sodium intake raised BP following a bout of acute exercise among adults with elevated BP. Thus, other secondary aims were to examine the influence of habitual calcium and sodium intake, and cardiometabolic biomarkers have shown to influence BP, on the ABP response following sudden vigorous exertion over 19 h among firefighters. Firefighters (n = 15) completed a Food-Frequency Questionnaire assessing habitual dietary intake over the past year. They randomly completed a maximal graded exercise stress test (GEST) and non-exercise CONTROL on separate non-workdays leaving the laboratory wearing an ABP monitor for 19 h. Prior to and immediately after the GEST, fasting venous blood was collected to measure lipid-lipoproteins, c-reactive protein, and blood glucose. Height and weight were taken to calculate body mass index. Repeated measures ANCOVA tested if the ABP response differed after GEST vs. CONTROL. Linear mixed models examined the relationships among caffeine, calcium, sodium, cardiometabolic biomarkers, and the ABP response following GEST vs. CONTROL. Firefighters were middle-aged (40.2 ± 9.5 year), overweight (29.0 ± 3.9 kg/m²) men with elevated BP (124.1 ± 10.3/79.6 ± 11.5 mmHg) who consumed 542.0 ± 348.9 mg of caffeine/day, about ~50% more than the dietary reference intake. Unexpectedly, systolic ABP was higher by 18.0 ± 6.7 mmHg and diastolic ABP by 9.1 ± 5.4 mmHg (ps < 0.01) over 19 h following GEST vs. CONTROL. We found 24% of the variance in the adverse ABP response to maximal physical exertion was explained by caffeine intake, and when combined with c-reactive protein, non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, body mass index, blood glucose, and resting heart rate, up to 74% of the variability in the ABP response was explained. Additionally, we found calcium (ps < 0.001) and sodium (p < 0.0001) intake each explained up to 24% of the ABP response. Further investigation is needed in a larger, more diverse sample of firefighters to better establish how caffeine contributes to the adverse BP response to strenuous physical exertion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Shift Workers Health: What Is the Role of Nutrition?)

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12 pages, 1634 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Exogenous Melatonin on Eating Habits of Female Night Workers with Excessive Weight

by Luciana Fidalgo Ramos Nogueira, Cibele Aparecida Crispim, José Cipolla-Neto, Claudia Roberta de Castro Moreno and Elaine Cristina Marqueze

Nutrients 2022, 14(16), 3420; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14163420 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2641

Abstract

Background and Aims: Melatonin is a pineal hormone that plays an important role as an endogenous synchronizer of circadian rhythms and energy metabolism. As this circadian component has been closely related to eating behavior, an important question on this topic would be whether melatonin administration could influence eating habits. However, this topic has been rarely studied in the literature in individuals with excessive weight and chronic circadian misalignment, such as shift workers. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the effects of exogenous melatonin administration on the quali/quantitative aspects and temporal distribution of food intake in female night workers with excessive weight (overweight and obesity). An additional aim is to evaluate the association of the referred outcomes with circadian misalignment and chronotype. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial was conducted with 27 female nursing professionals with excessive weight who worked permanent night shifts. The protocol was implemented under real-life conditions for 24 weeks, in two randomly allocated conditions (12 weeks of melatonin and 12 weeks of placebo). The quali/quantitative aspects of food intake (NOVA classification, total energy intake and the proportion of calories from macronutrients) and meal timing were assessed using food diaries. Timing for every meal recorded in the diaries was assessed to evaluate the temporal distribution of food intake. Generalized estimating equations were performed for each dependent variable. Results: No significant modifications in total energy intake, macronutrient distribution, types of foods consumed, and meal timing were observed after melatonin administration. Different levels of circadian misalignment and chronotype did not interfere with these results. Conclusion: Eating habits of female night workers with excessive weight remained unchanged after melatonin administration, and no association of these results with circadian misalignment and chronotype was found. These results suggest that the metabolic effects of melatonin may occur independently of food intake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Shift Workers Health: What Is the Role of Nutrition?)

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Review

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14 pages, 374 KiB

Open AccessReview

Impact of Nighttime Food Consumption and Feasibility of Fasting during Night Work: A Narrative Review

by Luisa Pereira Marot, Tássia do Vale Cardoso Lopes, Laura Cristina Tibiletti Balieiro, Cibele Aparecida Crispim and Cláudia Roberta Castro Moreno

Nutrients 2023, 15(11), 2570; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15112570 - 31 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2493

Abstract

Shift work has been associated with an increased risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases, such as obesity. The reduction in overnight fasting and its physiological consequences seem to affect the metabolic health of shift workers, but little has been discussed regarding the feasibility and implications of maintaining a night-long fast during work. This narrative review aims to discuss the impact of eating behavior on the reduction of overnight fasting in shift workers, as well as possible nutritional strategies involving fasting that have been tested for shift workers, to contribute to the establishment of nutritional guidelines for them. We used various databases and search engines to retrieve relevant articles, reviews, and investigations. Despite the potential benefits of overnight fasting for other groups, few studies have investigated this approach in the context of shift work. Generally, it seems to be a feasible and metabolically beneficial strategy for shift workers. However, it is essential to investigate the potential risks and benefits of reducing the fasting time for shift workers, considering social, hedonic, and stress-related factors. Furthermore, randomized clinical trials are necessary to establish safe and feasible strategies for shift workers to practice different fasting windows. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Shift Workers Health: What Is the Role of Nutrition?)

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