Rotating shift work may raise irritable bowel risk

Don't rotate the shift in your bowels.

Rotating shift work can wreak havoc with bodily functions such as sleep and bowel movements. Now study findings hint that rotating work schedules may also increase risk for irritable bowel syndrome.

Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) include constipation and diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping, and bloating. It's unclear what causes the syndrome, which affects as many as one in five Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Shift workers often report altered bowel habits similar to people with IBS, Dr. Willemijntje A. Hoogerwerf, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues note in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Problem solved.