Short paper

Shift work as an oxidative stressor

Akbar Sharifian¹ , Saeed Farahani¹ , Parvin Pasalar² , Marjan Gharavi³ and Omid Aminian³

¹  Department of Occupational Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

²  Department of Medical Biochemistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

³  Private practice, Tehran, Iran

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Circadian Rhythms 2005, 3:15doi:10.1186/1740-3391-3-15

Published:	28 December 2005

Abstract

Background

Some medical disorders have higher prevalence in shift workers than others. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of night-shift-working on total plasma antioxidant capacity, with respect to the causative role of oxidative stress in induction of some of these disorders.

Methods

Two blood samples were taken from 44 workers with a rotational shift schedule, one after their day shift and one after their night shift. The total plasma antioxidant capacity of each worker was measured through the FRAP method. The impacts of age and weight were also assessed.

Results

The total plasma antioxidant capacity was measured in 44 shift-workers with a mean age of 36.57 years (SD: 10.18) and mean BMI of 26.06 (SD: 4.37) after their day and night shifts. The mean reduction of total plasma antioxidant capacity after the night shift was 105.8 μmol/L (SD: 146.39). Also, a significant correlation was shown between age and weight and total plasma antioxidant capacity. Age and weight were found to be inversely related to total plasma antioxidant capacity; as age and weight increased, the total plasma antioxidant capacity decreased.

Conclusion

Shift work can act as an oxidative stressor and may induce many medical disorders. Aging and obesity in shift workers makes them more sensitive to this hazardous effect.