FRIDAY, March 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For health care shift workers with type 2 diabetes (T2D), night shifts are associated with increased activity and with higher energy intake and percentage of energy from sweet snacks, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in Diabetic Medicine.
Rachel Gibson, Ph.D., from King's College London, and colleagues characterized differences in dietary intake, glucose variability, and activity in free-living health care shift workers with T2D across varying work conditions. Thirty-seven health care shift workers (62.2 percent nurses or midwives) were monitored over 10 days, covering night shifts, day shifts, and rest days.
The researchers found that on a day when a night shift was worked, energy intake was highest (2,199 kcal). The percentage of energy intake from sweet snacks was higher on a night shift than a rest day after a night shift (13.4 versus 7.8 percent). The highest and lowest eating occasions were seen for night shifts (7.0) and rest after night (3.4). There were no differences noted for mean glucose, mean amplitude of glycemic excursion, or coefficient of variation. Compared with rest after night shift, mean absolute glucose change and continuous overlapping net glycemic action were higher for night shifts. Compared with other day types, on night shift days, step counts were higher (13,775) and participants were awake longer (22.2 hours).
"Many clinicians don't ask questions about work, despite this study revealing just how much of an impact someone's nature of work can have on their behavior and dietary choices," Gibson said in a statement.