Are AGEs, as a predictor of increased risk for cardiometabolic syndrome, increased in shift workers?

In industrialized countries, about 15-30% of the working population is involved
in some kind of permanent night and rotating shift work or in intercontinental
travel across several time zones. In the Netherlands around 20% of the total
work force is delivered outside normal office hours. That means that many
people work and eat in the evening or at night, and must sleep during daytime.
Living against our biological clock can lead to a decrement of health. As a
matter of fact, shift work has been associated with a number of health problems
including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, impaired glucose and lipid
metabolism, gastrointestinal discomfort, such as stomach-ache or diarrhea,
reproductive difficulties, and breast cancer. Besides the direct effect of the
abnormal timing of food intake, shift workers eat during their active phase at
night with a negative effect on blood glucose and insulin levels, it is
reported that shift workers often choose specific unhealthy food items (fat and
sugar) at night. This could be an important factor when looking at the
increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes and
cardiovascular disease are typica medical problems related to high caloric and
fat intake. This *unhealthy food choice*in combination with the fact that food
is consumed at a non-optimal circadian phase explains the higher risk of shift
workers for cardiometabolic syndrome.
Early screening of individuals at increased risk of cardiometabolic syndrome is
critical for early treatment and/or for taking countermeasures. An indication
for average blood glucose levels (glycometabloic stress) over lifetime can be
obtained by measuring Advanced Glycation End products. AGEs are easily measured
by means of skin autofluorescence. This technique, widely established, allows
for a non-invasive measurement that has been shown to be a strong predictor of
cardiovascular mortality in, for instance, diabetic patients.
Given the strong association between shift workers and cardiometabolic
impairment we hypothesize that shift workers will show an increment of skin
AGEs as compared to non-shift workers. If our hypothesis is proven to be valid,
skin autofluorescence may, thus, be a break through non-invasive methodology to
assist populations at risk, such as shift workers.

The aim of this study is to investigate skin AGEs, as a predictor of increased
risk for cardiometabolic syndrome, in a shift work population as compared to
non-shift workers to assess its potential as an early assessment of the actual
risk for cardiometabolic syndrome in shift work populations.

The study is an observational study, consisting of two groups. Namely a group
of shift workers, and a group of non-shift workers matched by age.

No risks are associated to this study. Participation will take about 20 minutes
of the subjects* time and this will include reading of the information, signing
of the informed consent, completion of a general questionnaire and the
measurement of skin AGEs.