Night Shifts Boost Women's Diabetes Risk

Women who work a night shift at least a few nights a month are more prone to type 2 diabetes, according to new research. The longer they work such a rotating schedule, the greater the risk, reports USA Today. The women saw their type 2 diabetes rates spike 5% over one to two years, 20% over three to nine years, and 40% over 10 to 19 years when compared to women who worked day hours.

"Shift work is an important risk factor for obesity and type 2 diabetes," concludes the senior author from the Harvard School of Public Health. The reason is probably a mix of both the biological (working weird hours messes up the body's natural clock) and the behavioral (night-shift workers tend to smoke more and eat unhealthier diets).