La Medicina del lavoroDec 18, 2008

Waist size and its role in identifying metabolic syndrome and heart risk in shift workers

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗

Updated Apr 6, 2026

Abstract

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 12% according to International Diabetes Federation criteria.

Healthcare providers exhibited greater waist circumference, higher serum triglycerides, and elevated fasting plasma glucose compared to other worker categories.
Rotating shift nurses had significantly higher waist circumference and serum triglycerides, along with lower HDL cholesterol compared to day workers.
No significant association was found between metabolic syndrome and shift work when assessed using NCEP and NCEP-R criteria.
High serum triglycerides and abdominal obesity were significantly associated with shift work according to IDF criteria, with odds ratios of 2.74 and 1.81, respectively.
Measurement of waist circumference is identified as a simple method for evaluating cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Simplified

Weekly Circadian Biology Brief

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

Get 7 new circadian biology papers each week, explained in plain English with direct links to the originals.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

📚7 fresh studies
📝plain-language summaries
✅direct links to original studies
🏅top journal indicators
📅weekly delivery
🧘‍♂️always free

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief

Timing cancer drug delivery to tumor vesicle peaks markedly boosted treatment efficacy in mice

2 weeks ago7 studies

Your brain's clock cells control learning and memory — and we just found out how

3 weeks ago7 studies

Afternoon workouts beat morning sessions for fat loss — and your genes may explain why

4 weeks ago7 studies

Your body clock controls which drugs work — and a protein called gp78 is why

5 weeks ago7 studies

A blood test can now estimate your internal clock time using just 60 proteins

6 weeks ago7 studies

Your body clock controls liver fibrosis — and scientists just found the on/off switch

7 weeks ago7 studies

Night shift workers' metabolomes fall out of sync — and glucose pays the price

8 weeks ago7 studies

80% of FDA-approved drug targets show clock-dependent activity — timing may be everything

9 weeks ago7 studies

Sleeping late on weekends is independently linked to higher cardiovascular disease risk

10 weeks ago7 studies

A smartphone app cut mood episode recurrence 3.4x in people with depression and bipolar disorder

11 weeks ago7 studies

explore the archive

See more issues from the circadian biology brief