Disrupted body clocks were linked to heart enlargement in animal studies
A review found stronger evidence for changes in heart structure than for reduced pumping function.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The clearest finding was greater left-ventricular mass relative to body weight, alongside larger heart muscle cells. Evidence for impaired pumping function was less certain. These animal results help explain possible biological links between disrupted daily rhythms and heart changes, but they do not measure cardiovascular risk in human shift workers.
The evidence comes from animal models, and the abstract leaves exposure durations and comparison conditions unspecified. Human shift workers remain an evidence gap, so these results cannot quantify their health risks.
How disruption was studied
Researchers included animals with altered clock genes and animals exposed to shifted light schedules or sleep deprivation. Combining these models addressed biological mechanisms, while leaving open how closely each model represents human work schedules.
Structure and function differed
The authors rated the evidence for increased chamber mass most highly and the evidence for larger muscle cells moderately. Pumping measures and blood-vessel relaxation had lower-certainty evidence, so those conclusions deserve greater caution.
The original publication
Circadian rhythm disruption in cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of mechanistic evidence from animal models.
Das MK, De Ryck E, Jorgensen IL et al.
BMC Med · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41514366
- Record checked
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