Freelance

Author Bio ▼

Jamie Hailstone is a freelance journalist and author, who has also contributed to numerous national business titles including Utility Week, the Municipal Journal, Environment Journal and consumer titles such as Classic Rock.
July 10, 2018

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Shift Workers

Job-exhaustion gene linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s

A gene which has been linked to job-related exhaustion in shift workers also increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.

Scientists at the University of Helsinki and the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland have been studying the melatonin receptor 1A (MTNR1A) gene, which has been linked to the risk of Alzheimer’s in the elderly.

A previous study by the same research team has also demonstrated the same gene can reduce the tolerance to shift work.

There have been numerous studies linked shift work to disruptions with to the body’s own internal clock, which are often referred to as circadian rhythms.

The study concluded that a combination of a genetic predisposition and a lifestyle that disrupts sleep patterns, like shift work, can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

“The finding of a common risk gene for both job-related exhaustion in shift workers and Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t directly mean that shift work would predispose to Alzheimer’s disease,” said Lic. Med Sonja Sulkava from the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland.

“However, the combination of genetic predisposition and a lifestyle that disrupts the circadian rhythm can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” she added.

“Another possible interpretation is that the brain dysfunctions related to Alzheimer’s disease impair the tolerance to shift work decades before the onset of the clinical disease.”

Professor Paunio added: “Even though our results demonstrate a new molecule-level connection between the tolerance to shift work and incipient Alzheimer’s disease, the now discovered genetic variation has a minimal effect on the individual level and it can’t be used to risk assessment or prediction.”

The full study is available to read online here.

What makes us susceptible to burnout?

In this episode  of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.

We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.

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