Working in Shifts and the Metabolic Syndrome: Epidemiological Evidence and Physiopathological Mechanisms

The Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is considered as an association of the abdominal obesity, abnormal metabolism of the lipids and glucose (high level of triglycerides, low level of HDL-cholesterol and high level of glycemia) and high values of blood pressure, determined by an underlying mechanism of insulin resistance. As a result of environmental-gene interaction, MetS is associated with unhealthy nutrition, smoking, alcohol abuse, lack of physical activity, shorter sleep duration and desynchronization of the circadian rhytm caused by working in shifts. The aim of this article is to review the effects of working in shifts on the MetS through the epidemiological evidence and the perspective of the physiopathological mechanisms.