Does working the night shift cause breast cancer?

A new study suggests that the graveyard shift can throw women's hormones off balance, putting their health at risk

A waitress works the nightshift at a roadside dinner: Women who work at least three night shifts a week over at least six years may be at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
(Image credit: Daniel Mirer/Corbis)

Working the night shift is no one's idea of fun, but it turns out that it might be really bad for your health, too. Women who work at night are at a much greater risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new study by Danish researchers in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The findings have raised new alarm bells about shift work, which the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has listed as a "probably carcinogenic" activity. Here, a guide to the latest findings:

What does the study say?

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