How Shift Work Affects Our Gut Microbiota: Impact on Gastrointestinal Diseases

Background and Objectives: Shift work and night work are common among emergency physicians. It is necessary to provide continuous care to patients, especially with acute diseases, including throughout the night. Literature studies show that shift and night workers have an altered light exposure, timing of sleep and intake of food. The consequence of this desynchronization with the biological clock can lead these workers to be more exposed to developing some acute and chronic health conditions. In particular, the alteration of the sleep–wake cycle, fatigue, the shortened sleep duration and the misalignment of the body’s hormone production is a codified risk factor of gut dysbiosis that can lead to acute and chronic diseases, also gastrointestinal ones. the aim of this narrative review is to collect and summarize evidence about the association between the disruption of the circadian rhythm, sleep and food timing alterations, gut dysbiosis and the risk of gastrointestinal diseases among shift and night workers. Materials and Methods: we searched for evidence about the association of shift and night work, dysbiosis, gut microbiota and gastrointestinal diseases among shift workers in healthcare settings. Results: shift work and night work are associated with a higher risk of diseases, an inflammatory state and the alteration of the gut microbiota composition; but definitive data are still inconsistent. Conclusions: Until now, obtaining conclusive results in regard to the relationship between shift work, the gut microbiota and the increased risk of gastrointestinal disorders has been particularly complex and not yet feasible. More confirmatory studies are needed to better characterize risk factors and realize preventive measures.