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Modern life hits health
Modern 24-hour society is exacting a heavy toll in health problems by causing people to ignore their biological clocks, an expert claims.
Failing to take account of internal rhythms could lead to stomach upsets, heart disease, a greater risk of diabetes and accidental injuries, said Professor Russell Foster, from Imperial College London.
The biological "circadian" clock provided both animals and humans with a vital internal representation of time, he said.
Under normal circumstances it "fine-tuned" our physiology and behaviour to the varying demands of day and night.
But this carefully balanced system was disrupted by being on the go around the clock.
"Human activities increasingly span the 24-hour day," said Prof Foster. "For example, global telecommunications systems enable financial transactions, news gathering, video conferencing, to take place simultaneously in locations many time zones apart.
"In any urban economy approximately 20% of the populations works shifts, and this is likely to increase. Air travel with rapid changes of time zones is also projected to increase substantially.
"Whilst in theory this situation improves the output of an organisation, abolishing dead time, there is a cost with regard to human health."
Speaking at the British Association Festival of Science at the University of Salford, Prof Foster warned that persistently working out of phase with internal rhythms led to a number of disorders.
These had chiefly been defined in shift workers. The most prominent were difficulty sleeping, gastro-intestinal disease, cardiovascular disease, coupled with raised levels of harmful fats called triglycerides.
The ability to process glucose was also impaired, possibly leading to type 2 diabetes.
Another major risk was the impact on performance and concentration, which could lead to accidents.
Studies had shown that motorists are most likely to be in a crash between the hours of 3am and 4am.
Prof Foster added: "The 24-hour society is here to stay, and I think a greater awareness of the problems may lead to ways of blunting these side effects."
One improvement would be to think about "appropriate food and nutrition" for shift workers, as well as giving people tasks that took account of the mental effects.
Prof Foster said great strides had been taken in understanding the molecular mechanism of the biological clock.
For example, a new class of light-detecting cell had been discovered in the eye with its own connection to the brain.
The clock-eye had been found to function even when there was no normal sight.
"You can be visually blind but not clock blind," said Prof Foster.
©AAP 2003
Modern 24-hour society is exacting a heavy toll in health problems by causing people to ignore their biological clocks, an expert claims.
Failing to take account of internal rhythms could lead to stomach upsets, heart disease, a greater risk of diabetes and accidental injuries, said Professor Russell Foster, from Imperial College London.
The biological "circadian" clock provided both animals and humans with a vital internal representation of time, he said.
Under normal circumstances it "fine-tuned" our physiology and behaviour to the varying demands of day and night.
But this carefully balanced system was disrupted by being on the go around the clock.
"Human activities increasingly span the 24-hour day," said Prof Foster. "For example, global telecommunications systems enable financial transactions, news gathering, video conferencing, to take place simultaneously in locations many time zones apart.
"In any urban economy approximately 20% of the populations works shifts, and this is likely to increase. Air travel with rapid changes of time zones is also projected to increase substantially.
"Whilst in theory this situation improves the output of an organisation, abolishing dead time, there is a cost with regard to human health."
Speaking at the British Association Festival of Science at the University of Salford, Prof Foster warned that persistently working out of phase with internal rhythms led to a number of disorders.
These had chiefly been defined in shift workers. The most prominent were difficulty sleeping, gastro-intestinal disease, cardiovascular disease, coupled with raised levels of harmful fats called triglycerides.
The ability to process glucose was also impaired, possibly leading to type 2 diabetes.
Another major risk was the impact on performance and concentration, which could lead to accidents.
Studies had shown that motorists are most likely to be in a crash between the hours of 3am and 4am.
Prof Foster added: "The 24-hour society is here to stay, and I think a greater awareness of the problems may lead to ways of blunting these side effects."
One improvement would be to think about "appropriate food and nutrition" for shift workers, as well as giving people tasks that took account of the mental effects.
Prof Foster said great strides had been taken in understanding the molecular mechanism of the biological clock.
For example, a new class of light-detecting cell had been discovered in the eye with its own connection to the brain.
The clock-eye had been found to function even when there was no normal sight.
"You can be visually blind but not clock blind," said Prof Foster.
©AAP 2003