Working night shifts could raise risk of cancer

 Night shifts stop the body repairing daily damage to DNA and raise the risk of mutations that lead to cancer, according to research.

Those who work after dark are more likely to suffer diabetes, obesity, heart attacks and tumours.

Now US researchers have discovered that when people work nights they produce 80 per cent less of a chemical, which is a byproduct of DNA tissue repair.

They say it indicates that the body is not carrying out the crucial restoration to cells which should happen naturally overnight.

They believe it could be caused by a lack of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and suggested “melatonin supplementation” should be explored to see if it helped resolve the issue.