Scientists talked about the effect of violation of circadian rhythms on human DNA
A new scientific research conducted on the basis of the Washington State University's Sleep laboratory has revealed a detrimental effect of work in the night shift on human health. Violation of circadian rhythms can lead to changes in the expression of genes associated with increasing malignant tumors. The results of the work done were published in the NEW Atlas magazine.
It is noted that in 2019 the International Cancer Study Agency declared the dangers of night work. The words of Mair were confirmed during the experiments spent over seven days with the participation of 14 healthy volunteers. The first half of the subjects worked out a few shifts during the daytime, and the second is in the night. After that, they had to spend 24 hours in a state of wakefulness under constant lighting. This allowed scientists to study the biological rhythms of people, regardless of any external factors.
The analysis showed that the nightboard work schedule shot down the circadian rhythms of the subjects, which led to a violation of the expression of some genes related to the development of malignant formations. Specialists also revealed a negative impact of work at night on a natural DNA recovery process.
For a more detailed study of the effect of violation of the expression of some genes on healthy cells in the body, scientists analyzed the white blood cells, affecting them using ionizing radiation. It turned out that the cells of a group of people who worked in the night shift were more susceptible to radiation-induced DNA damage.
These results suggest that night shifts confuse the operation of the expression of cancer genes, so it reduces the effectiveness of the processes of the DNA of the body, when they are most needed, - Jason McDermott, the studies co-author.Scientists noted that a new study did not allow them to find answers to all questions. As part of the next stage, it is planned to analyze DNA of people who regularly work out night shifts in order to compare the results of experiments with the performance of workers workers at night for several years. They also do not exclude the likelihood that a long period of time, the body can adapt to such work.