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# Shift work linked to cardiovascular events like myocardial infarction
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/shift_work_myocardial_infarction_0728120209/
- Published: 2012-07-28T15:03:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:12:35.000Z
- Description: A BMJ review of 34 observational studies covering more than two million people links shift work to 23 percent higher myocardial infarction risk, 5 percent higher ischaemic stroke risk and 24 percent higher coronary event risk. The authors say it should count as an occupational hazard.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Lifestyle, Health News, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Saturday July 28, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Shift work is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease or events including myocardial infarction and stroke and it should be considered an occupational hazard, according to a review published in the July 26, 2012 issue of British Medical Journal.

M.V. Vyas of Western University in London, ON, Canada and colleagues reviewed 34 observational studies of 2,011,935 participants to seek an association between shift work and risk of myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke and coronary events.

The researchers found shift work was correlated with 23 percent elevated risk of myocardial infarction, 5 percent increased risk for ischaemic stroke and 24 percent increased risk for coronary events.

It's not really news that shift work is associated with increased heart risk. Simply staying up too late in the evening can be a risk for heart disease. So why does shift work increase heart disease risk? It's likely that shift work affects the heart risk by increasing inflammation, which is known to play a role in the risk of heart or cardiovascular disease. 

In the July 2011 issue of Chronobiology International, S. Puttonen of Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki, Finland reported that second and third shift work was associated with elevated systemic inflammation in their study. 

Specifically, the researchers found 3-shift work was significantly linked with C-reactive protein in men and 2-shift work and leukocyte count in men and leukocyte count in 3-shift-working women. C-reactive protein is linked to myocardial infarction to say the least.

Shift work has been associated with other chronic diseases like breast cancer. This should not be a surprise, considering that shift work may boost the levels of inflammation, which may play a role in all types of chronic diseases.

To reduce the risk of heart cardiovascular disease/events like myocardial infarction and stroke, which is the number one killer in the United States, people should by all means avoid shift work or even avoid staying up to late in the evening. It could probably be best that they go to sleep before 10.00 p.m.

Of course, there are many other things people can do to reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease/events such as myocardial infarction. Some major protective measure that could be taken include but not limited to avoiding sugar-sweetened soda, radiation, high protein diet, diabetes, meat, high intake of calcium, physical inactivity, air pollution, job stress, and cholesterol.