Alert: Cancer on the rise for night owls.
Now you do not have to ingest
any carcinogens, be exposed to second hand smoke or other harmful chemicals
to increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
Ladies, it is time to rethink your night shifts. Recent studies have
drawn a link between increased risk of developing breast cancer amongst
female workers who work 3 night shifts in a month.
What is the relationship?
More good news for those who enjoy late nights; an increased risk of
developing cancer has been linked to nighthawks.
Females are at particular risk according to this study; those who work
night shifts are up to 40% more likely to develop
breast cancer than those who do not work the night shift.
The link would appear to be a result of the affects of artificial light,
hormone production and the melatonin
It is believed to be largely as a result of artificial
lighting. The body has circadian rhythms that
are imperative to many of the hormonal levels in the body. The melatonin
levels during day hours and night time hours vary and with those variances
the levels of estrogen released into the female system changes.
At night the melatonin levels are increased which usually results in
a decrease in the production of estrogen. The estrogen releases are
increased when the night hours pass and the melatonin levels drop.
If you have been told that women who work shift work or night shifts
may have trouble conceiving a child; it is often due to the relationship
between the melatonin and estrogen levels as affected by an altered
body clock..
Why aren't men affected by this link?
When the artificial lights are used to keep people awake during the
night hours, imposing an artificial day time; the body responds by changing
the production levels of various hormones.
This is largely a female phenomenon; resulting from the circadian rhythms,
decreased levels of melatonin and fluctuating estrogen levels within
the body. It is the presence of the fluctuating estrogen levels that
contributes to the development of breast cancer in female night shift
workers.
Unlike the occurrence of breast cancer in males, there has been no
correlation to the circadian rhythms, melatonin levels and progesterone.
The male system is still subject to other health concerns resulting
from working within a situation that requires altered body clocks due
to shift work.
Findings of the Study
A new study has drawn a link between nightshift workers and increased
risk of breast cancer. The importance of this discovery should not be
discounted; the risk is very real.
- Artificial lighting may cause confusion for the body's circadian
rhythms. This phenomena has been long known by doctors in explaining
why it is difficult for women to conceive when working varied shifts;
including those with hours around the clock.
- Decreased levels of melatonin combined with hormonal levels which
vary according to the time of day.
- A link of melatonin, estrogen and breast cancer seems to be probable.
This link is the probable explanation as to the development of cancer
risks, however this does not explain the relationship of artificial
lighting to the occurrence of breast cancer.
- Women who work three night shifts within a month show almost a
40% increase in probability for developing breast cancer. This begins
to draw the link between artificial lights and the factors of melatonin
and estrogen levels leading to the development of breast cancer.
- The study found a link between sighted individuals being more at
risk to develop breast cancer in this situation. In fact, according
to study results it would appear that blind women are not as likely
to develop breast cancer as their sighted counterparts. This conclusion
would support a link to artificial light.
- The incidence of breast cancer is much higher in industrialised
nations and may well provide an explanation as to why this would be
true.
