Impact of light therapy on rotating night shift workers: the EuRhythDia study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Impact of light therapy on rotating night shift workers: the EuRhythDia study

AU - Rizza, Stefano

AU - Luzi, Alessio

AU - Mavilio, Maria

AU - Ballanti, Marta

AU - Massimi, Arianna

AU - Porzio, Ottavia

AU - Magrini, Andrea

AU - Hannemann, Juliane

AU - Menghini, Rossella

AU - Cridland, Jonathan

AU - Staels, Bart

AU - Grant, Peter J

AU - Boger, Rainer H

AU - Marx, Nikolaus

AU - Federici, Massimo

N1 - © 2022. The Author(s).

PY - 2022/8/31

Y1 - 2022/8/31

N2 - AIMS: Disturbances in circadian rhythms may promote cardiometabolic disorders in rotating night shift workers (r-NSWs). We hypothesized that timed light therapy might reverse disrupted circadian rhythms and glucose intolerance observed among r-NSWs).METHODS: R-NSWs were randomly assigned to a protocol that included 12 weeks on followed by 12 weeks off light therapy (n = 13; 6 men; mean age, 39.5 ± 7.3 years) or a no-treatment control group (n = 9; 3 men; mean age 41.7 ± 6.3 years). Experimental and control participants underwent identical metabolic evaluations that included anthropometric, metabolic (including oral glucose tolerance tests), lipid, and inflammation-associated parameters together with an assessment of sleep quality and expression of circadian transcription factors REV-ERBα and BMAL1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks of the protocol.RESULTS: Twelve weeks of warm white-light exposure (10,000 lx at 35 cm for 30 min per day) had no impact on sleep, metabolic, or inflammation-associated parameters among r-NSWs in the experimental group. However, our findings revealed significant decreases in REV-ERBα gene expression (p = 0.048) and increases in the REV-ERBα/BMAL1 ratio (p = 0.040) compared to baseline in PBMCs isolated from this cohort. Diminished expression of REV-ERBα persisted, although the REV-ERBα/BMAL1 ratio returned to baseline levels after the subsequent 12-day wash-out period.CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that intermittent light therapy had no impact on inflammatory parameters or glucose tolerance in a defined cohort of r-NSWs. However, significant changes in the expression of circadian clock genes were detected in PBMCs of these subjects undergoing light therapy.

AB - AIMS: Disturbances in circadian rhythms may promote cardiometabolic disorders in rotating night shift workers (r-NSWs). We hypothesized that timed light therapy might reverse disrupted circadian rhythms and glucose intolerance observed among r-NSWs).METHODS: R-NSWs were randomly assigned to a protocol that included 12 weeks on followed by 12 weeks off light therapy (n = 13; 6 men; mean age, 39.5 ± 7.3 years) or a no-treatment control group (n = 9; 3 men; mean age 41.7 ± 6.3 years). Experimental and control participants underwent identical metabolic evaluations that included anthropometric, metabolic (including oral glucose tolerance tests), lipid, and inflammation-associated parameters together with an assessment of sleep quality and expression of circadian transcription factors REV-ERBα and BMAL1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks of the protocol.RESULTS: Twelve weeks of warm white-light exposure (10,000 lx at 35 cm for 30 min per day) had no impact on sleep, metabolic, or inflammation-associated parameters among r-NSWs in the experimental group. However, our findings revealed significant decreases in REV-ERBα gene expression (p = 0.048) and increases in the REV-ERBα/BMAL1 ratio (p = 0.040) compared to baseline in PBMCs isolated from this cohort. Diminished expression of REV-ERBα persisted, although the REV-ERBα/BMAL1 ratio returned to baseline levels after the subsequent 12-day wash-out period.CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that intermittent light therapy had no impact on inflammatory parameters or glucose tolerance in a defined cohort of r-NSWs. However, significant changes in the expression of circadian clock genes were detected in PBMCs of these subjects undergoing light therapy.

KW - Male

KW - Humans

KW - Adult

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group D, Member 1/genetics

KW - ARNTL Transcription Factors/genetics

KW - Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism

KW - Circadian Rhythm/genetics

KW - Phototherapy

KW - Inflammation

KW - Glucose

KW - Lipids

U2 - 10.1007/s00592-022-01956-2

DO - 10.1007/s00592-022-01956-2

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 36044097

VL - 59

SP - 1589

EP - 1596

JO - ACTA DIABETOL

JF - ACTA DIABETOL

SN - 0940-5429

IS - 12

ER -