A major UK Biobank study of nearly 193,000 people found that night shift workers experience accelerated biological aging and reduced life expectancy. Compared to day workers, usual night shift workers showed measurable increases in biological aging markers and lost 0.94 years of life expectancy by age 45. The effects worsened with more frequent and longer-duration night shifts. Body weight changes mediated about one-third of this relationship, suggesting maintaining healthy weight could help offset some negative effects.
