Both day and night shift workers are eligible – takes about 1 hour at home to support vital cancer research
Do changes to the gut microbiome during night shift make workers more susceptible to cancer? That question is at the heart of a new study undertaken by the BC Cancer Research Institute, and they’re hoping locals will help them find the answer.
Previous studies, largely looking at breast cancer, but also prostate and colorectal cancers, have shown connections between night shift work and increased occurrence of cancer, explains Dr. Parveen Bhatti, lead researcher of the new study. “Looking at the totality of the evidence, the association is very compelling,” Dr. Bhatti says.
So the next question is: Why? One possibility is that working nights changes the gut microbiome – where trillions of microorganisms affect things like how well we absorb nutrients, inflammation in the body and overall immune function.
The new study aims to identify differences in the gut microbiome between night shift and day shift workers, and to identify the specific aspects of night shift work, such as sleep disruption, decreased diet quality and decreased physical activity, that are the primary drivers of cancer-causing disruptions of microbial communities.
“Night shift work is a key part of our 24-hour-a-day society and is something we can’t entirely eliminate, so we need to put more research into understanding the underlying biologic impacts of night shift work so we can develop interventions to reduce the risk,” Dr. Bhatti explains.
Help inform tomorrow’s cancer research today
Dr. Bhatti, with Dr. Rachel Murphy and Dr. Amee R. Manges from the University of B.C., are looking for eligible participants from B.C. and Alberta to join the study, designed to be as minimally invasive as possible yet have a meaningful impact – in fact, it’s estimated that interventions could prevent thousands of cancers each year.
In addition to a questionnaire to gather demographic, lifestyle and job information, a kit will be mailed to participants for at-home stool sample collection, which will be used to measure the gut microbiome. Participants will also be asked to recall food consumed over the 24 hours after stool sample collection.
Participation will take about an hour, and volunteers will receive an honorarium.
To be eligible, participants must:
Be between 18 and 65 years of age
Be a night shift or day shift worker who works outside the home
Night shift worker – primarily works nights, at least two nights per week, for the past six months or more. Shifts last at least seven hours, and end no earlier than 6 a.m.
Day shift worker – works only day shifts, at least two days per week, for the past six months or more. Shifts last at least seven hours, and end no later than 6 p.m.
Have a regular bowel movement
Have no personal history of cancer or diagnosed sleep disorder (e.g., sleep apnea, narcolepsy)
Have not travelled across time zones in the past three months
Not be currently using melatonin supplements
Not have had an antibiotic prescription in the past six months
Not be currently pregnant
Learn more about the study here, including how to participate.