研究：上夜班會造成DNA損傷并引發(fā)癌癥

上夜班不光會讓你長痘，新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，上夜班的人身體會停止自動修復(fù)日常的DNA損傷，從而可能導(dǎo)致基因突變和癌癥。

Night shift work may stop the body repairing daily damage to DNA and raise the risk of mutations which lead to cancer, a new study suggests.

一項(xiàng)新研究顯示，上夜班會阻止身體修復(fù)日常的DNA損傷，令基因突變風(fēng)險(xiǎn)增大進(jìn)而引發(fā)癌癥。

The link between working at night and poor health has been known for several years, with those who work after dark more likely to suffer diabetes, obesity, poor fertility, heart attacks and tumors.

人們多年前就已經(jīng)知道上夜班和健康不良之間的聯(lián)系。那些上夜班的人更容易患上糖尿病、肥胖、生育困難、心臟病和腫瘤。

Scientists believed that disruption to the body’s natural body clock was responsible for the increased risk of chronic illness, but could never pinpoint the mechanism.

科學(xué)家認(rèn)為，擾亂人體自然的生物鐘會增加慢性病的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，但卻無法確定其原理。

Now US researchers have discovered that when people work nights they produce 80 percent less of a chemical which is a by-product of DNA tissue repair. They say it indicates that the body is not carrying out the crucial restoration to cells which should happen naturally overnight.

如今美國研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，人們上夜班時(shí)，體內(nèi)分泌的一種化學(xué)物質(zhì)將減少80%，這種化學(xué)物質(zhì)是修復(fù)DNA組織的副產(chǎn)品。研究人員稱，這表明人體沒有對受損的細(xì)胞進(jìn)行關(guān)鍵的修復(fù)，這種修復(fù)本應(yīng)在夜間自然地完成。

They believe the effect could be caused by a lack of melatonin, the sleep hormone, which is far lower among people who sleep in the daytime.

科學(xué)家認(rèn)為，這種效應(yīng)可能是由褪黑激素(睡眠荷爾蒙)的缺乏引發(fā)的，在白天睡覺的人群當(dāng)中，這種激素水平要低得多。

Dr Parveen Bhatti, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA, said if awake at night the body has ‘reduced capacity to repair and clear oxidative DNA damage.’

美國華盛頓州西雅圖的福瑞德哈金森腫瘤研究中心的帕爾文•巴提博士說，如果夜里醒著，身體就會“降低修復(fù)和清除DNA氧化損傷的能力。”

“Over time, this accumulation would likely increase the risk of cancer across multiple sites as has been observed among shift workers,” she added.

她補(bǔ)充道：“長此以往，累積的損傷就會增加身體多處的癌癥風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，這些都是在倒班工人身上觀察到的。”

The study tested 50 night shift workers for levels of 8-OH-dG - a chemical which is produced when DNA is repaired. They then tested them again when they were working days, and found levels jumped by 300 percent.

該研究檢測了50個(gè)夜班工人體內(nèi)的8-OH-dG——人體修復(fù)DNA損傷時(shí)產(chǎn)生的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。然后研究人員又在這些工人上白班時(shí)給他們做了檢測，發(fā)現(xiàn)這種化學(xué)物質(zhì)的分泌量增加了300%。

They believe that shift workers may need to take sleep hormone supplements to allow DNA to carry out repairs as they sleep in the day.

科學(xué)家認(rèn)為，倒班工人也許需要攝入睡眠荷爾蒙補(bǔ)充劑，讓他們在白天睡覺時(shí)DNA也可以正常地自我修復(fù)。

“If such effects are confirmed, melatonin supplementation should be explored as an intervention to reduce the occurrence of potentially carcinogenic DNA damage among shift workers,” added Dr Bhatti.

巴提博士補(bǔ)充道：“如果效果得到證實(shí)，應(yīng)該探討用褪黑激素補(bǔ)充劑進(jìn)行干預(yù)，來減少倒班工人具有潛在致癌性的DNA損傷。”

The research was published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

該研究報(bào)告發(fā)表在《職業(yè)與環(huán)境醫(yī)學(xué)》雜志上。