news
Tipping the scales
Study aims to help night‑shift
workers slim down.
By Dallas Bastian
A
ustralian researchers are looking
into ways to shift the weight gain
associated with shiftwork.
University of South Australia researcher
Dr Crystal Yates said the nature of working
at night makes it harder for people to
maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.
“Night-shift workers not only work
irregular hours but have the added
challenges of irregular sleeping and eating
patterns, making traditional weight loss
plans hard to follow,” Yates explained.
“Our research shows that when a
person routinely eats at irregular hours,
they’re more likely to gain weight.
“Plus, we know that shiftworkers often
snack on high energy, sugary foods at
night, which can increase their chance of
weight gain.”
Associate Professor Maxine Bonham,
from Monash University, said these
workers do not always have access to
healthy foods in the workplace.
ICU nurse Louise Vos, who took part
in a pilot study, attested to the dietary
struggles that come with working nights
and in a hospital with limited healthy
food options.
“When you get home, you are often
too tired to prepare a healthy meal or to
exercise,” she said.
For that study, Vos was asked to
rearrange her eating habits to avoid eating
overnight, for a window of five hours,
while on night shift.
Now, the research team has secured
a $1.43 million grant from the NHMRC
to compare three diet strategies –
continuous energy restriction with two
novel intermittent fasting approaches – to
help shiftworkers lose weight and improve
their health.
The team is looking for 420 shiftworkers
in Adelaide and Melbourne to join the
SWIFt study. ■
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