NEW DELHI: Women working on the night shift or frequently flying across time zones, where they experience an irregular sleep schedule, may increase their risk of aggressive breast cancer, according to a study.
The team from the Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences explained that circadian disruptions change the structure of mammary glands and weaken the immune system's defenses, all the while pointing toward a new way to counteract these effects.
"Cancer keeps time. If your internal clock is disrupted, cancer takes advantage -- but now we've found a new way to fight back, " said Dr. Tapasree Roy Sarkar, Co-Director of the Center for Statistical Bioinformatics at Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences.