Jet lag causes early death according to study

Posted on Nov 7th 2006 5:34PM by Brian White

Are you a road-weary business traveler? If so, do you travel between time zones frequently, stirring up your body's internal clock and metabolism? If so, a study recently involving rats -- of course -- resulted in a report that a six-hour shift in time schedule once a week -- for up to eight weeks -- brings on earlier death in elderly rats, but not effect was found on younger rats.

The drastic effects seen in rat morbidity was pinpointed to airline crews and other jobs that require workers to regularly cross time zones in the process of doing their jobs. Heck, this could apply to busy executives and CEOs as well I would think, as those are some of the most-traveled people in the world.

Although it's not exactly clear why the older rats died early deaths when subjected to jet lag, one of the researchers did state that sleep deprivation or disruption of the immune system may have been to blame.

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Tags: business travel, BusinessTravel, Jet lag, JetLag

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

sandy 11-12-2006 @ 3:41PM

maybe it was the airline food

DAN 11-12-2006 @ 4:49PM

Are you kidding? Rats won't go near airline food !

JANET 11-12-2006 @ 4:46PM

YOU DO NOT NEED TO CROSS A TIME ZONE TO HAVE A MESSED UP SYSTEM. NURSES, FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE, ANYONE WHO WORKS NIGHT SHIFTS IS A RISK!!

Bo 11-12-2006 @ 5:00PM

I dont think this article is true!

BL 11-12-2006 @ 5:16PM

Maybe it was squeezing their rat bums into coach, having to sit next to an overweight rat hogging the armrest, or listening to another lonely rat drone on about their life, with nowhere to get away, and toxic tiny snack mix with tiny cups of soda. Not to mention, when you are only a couple of ounces heavy, those carry ons can be darn heavy.

Andrew 11-12-2006 @ 5:17PM

Having treveled over 8 time zones several times in the past, the effects on your bodies cicadian clock is brutal! There are also problems with shift workers too if you look at the studies. Is it the immune system? Perhaps, but we are creatures of habit and asking or (better yet) demanding that we change our sleep and wake cycles OFTEN (that is the key with this article) is very difficult on the physical systems and I can see how it would take is't toll on the organism.

Olivia 11-12-2006 @ 5:23PM

I am an older airline rat and I am dying...at least I feel like it when I've flown 12 days in a row. I'm a flight attendant for a major airline and this is not news to airline crews. We've been trying to convince airlines for years that we deserve hazardous duty pay, but no one listens. FINALLY we have a voice!

davina 11-12-2006 @ 5:38PM

I don't think that applies to humans because rats are smaller than humans. We are able to endure more physically than little animals.

tim franzoni 11-12-2006 @ 6:00PM

Hi, Another old male rat! 33yrs eating airplane food and crossing time zones, sometimes tired, but think i'm in better shape then most . i think it all how you take care of yourself.Doesn't really matter what your job is.Stress is the biggest killer and that can come from many areas of ones life.

Shelly 11-12-2006 @ 7:50PM

If you don't believe this,, then check out the NASA sleep study they did on FedEx pilots.

julie hughes 11-27-2006 @ 7:03AM

my dad flew for a living for the usaf and he lived well into his 80s and he was a smoker and a drinker i worked in an auto factory and have arthritis and chronic pain ill never make it to my 80s

autumn 11-12-2006 @ 6:30PM

"...but not effect was found on younger rats."

You would think the author would proofread the article...

jim 11-12-2006 @ 7:07PM

22 years of Working and traveling at night, anyone who crosses these time zones and works these shifts knows we do not lead a normal life. Constantly being tired at the wrong hours and never getting enough sleep takes it toll on the body. Maybe this is why its called the "RAT RACE", puts you on the fast track to 6 feet under.

Jim

Jamie 11-12-2006 @ 8:09PM

Proofread............. Isn't that a thing of the past? The days of having spelling accuracy in our media have gone the way of cost cutting. Its cheaper to have an electronic spell checker. Only problem is a correctly spelled word in the wrong conotation still gets through. Plus it's hard for people to proofread if the don't really have the ability to spell. That skill was taught in the past. Maybe we should get back to the basics in school. Our country managed to do a lot of great things working with just the basics.

Alonzo 11-12-2006 @ 7:50PM

We can all use useful information to grow and learn. If are Flight Crew or conduct business in other contries how does this information help you? Do I quit my job as a Flight Attendant for 27 years? Or just fly domestic? what is the answer to the situation 'if" its true? Is this saying dont fly International often because you will die early!

Kelly 11-13-2006 @ 4:09PM

Flight attendents should not get hazardous duty pay! Flying is your job. If you don't like everything entailed in being a waitress on a plane, don't be a flight attendent.

Brian 11-12-2006 @ 7:46PM

OK folks, great comments so far. But, a few minor grammatical mistakes (which happens in blogging, folks!) and some of the comments go completely off-topic about education, editing and a few other things. To those that are grammar and spelling perfectionists -- let it go. Life is much easier.

Keep the *relevant* and on-topic comments coming.

Carol 11-12-2006 @ 7:54PM

The rats definitely should not travel.

Del Andreini 11-12-2006 @ 7:57PM

Nothing could be truer. I've been a Corporate Pilot flying expensive jets all around the world for over 8 years. Flying international makes an old man out of you fast. At 54 I look 80 and feel like shit most of the time. I got out of the business just in time. It was definately affecting my life and health. Recently heard a lecture about just this issue and it compared Pilots flying North South Routes to those flying East West Routes. Guess what, the North South guys lived longer and healthier, by a wide margin.