Cardiometabolic function in retired night shift workers and retired day workers

Abstract

Night shift work is associated with poor cardiometabolic outcomes, even post-retirement. However, the characteristics of cardiometabolic function in retired night shift workers (RNSW) compared to retired day workers (RDW) are not well-understood. Rigorous characterization of cardiometabolic dysfunction in RNSW and RDW will inform targeted risk stratification for RNSW. This observational study evaluated whether RNSW (n = 71) had poorer cardiometabolic function than RDW (n = 83). We conducted a multimodal assessment of cardiometabolic function including metabolic syndrome prevalence, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, and carotid intima-media thickness. Main analyses tested overall group differences. Sex-stratified follow-up analyses tested group differences separately in men and women. RNSW had 2.6-times higher odds of metabolic syndrome prevalence than RDW in unadjusted analyses (95% CI [1.1,6.3]); this association was not significant when adjusting for age, race and education. RNSW and RDW (Mage = 68.4; 55% female) did not differ in percent flow-mediated dilation or carotid intima-media thickness. In sex-stratified analyses, women RNSW had 3.3-times higher odds of having high body mass index than women RDW (95% CI [1.2,10.4]). Men RNSW had 3.9-times higher odds of having high triglycerides than men RDW (95% CI [1.1,14.2]). No other group differences were observed. We found mixed evidence that night shift work exposure was associated with cardiometabolic dysfunction in retirement, possibly in a sex-specific manner.