US truckers die 16 years sooner (UVA-low Vitamin D, obesity, little exercise)

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From Pegasis Wire Feb 2011

• Does not discuss shorter life due to stress, vibration, living away from home, smoking, poor eating, obesity, diabetes, Exposure to Diesel Particle Matter, ...
• Nor does it discuss the problems which are also experienced by workers on other shifts - especially when the shift times change - disrupting the circadian rhythms, which have documented results on heart rate, ability to concentrate, etc. etc.

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Note UVA coming thru windows decrease vitamin D blood levels – March 2012

Long haul truckers get lot of UVA every day, so they may be especially low on vitamin D
Have not seen any study of vitamin D level of truckers

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Had never heard that truckers live on average to only age 61.

Wonder how many other jobs with low exercise, shift workers also have shortened lives

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"2004 findings that truckers have a mortality rate 11 times higher""

than the general workforce and a higher prevalence of ailments, disease, and injuries, according to the CDC. CLICK HERE for link to the study started in 2007

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Quick glance on internet for "shift work" AND (mortality OR Longevity)

got 250,000 hits in Google and the following chart - from the paper attached below

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Search of Clinical Trials for "shift workers" (mortality OR longevity) got 55 hits Oct 2023

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CDC Nov 2007 with many, many comments

clip - - - -
Truck drivers face a disproportionately high risk for fatal crash-related injuries and for serious health disorders. The 2004 fatality rate for U.S. heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers was 48.2 per 100,000 workers, approximately 11 times the rate for the general worker population. The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses estimated 63,570 non-fatal injuries among heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in 2004—the second highest number among all occupations.
Other studies suggest that the risks of cancer, heart attacks, and other disorders may be associated with aspects of long-haul driving such as loading and unloading cargo, irregular schedules, long hours of driving, a sedentary lifestyle, and the nature of drivers' food choices on the road.

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A Hard Turn: Better Health on the Highway New York Times Nov 21, 2011

A few highlights from nice article which does not mention vitamin D"
86 % of the truck drivers in the US are overweight or obese - 2007 study
. . .conducted a blood pressure screening of more than 2,000 drivers at an annual truck show.
   “We sent 21 directly to the emergency room, and one of them had a heart attack on the way there,”

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Truck drivers are 11x more likely to suffer from sleep apnea than the general population - 2020

Freight Waves
Sleep apnea is strongly associated with low vitamin D

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Trucking joke: Buffet = “Big Ugly Fat Fellows Eating Together.”

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See also VitaminDWiki

• All items in Mortality and vitamin D 320 items
• Hypotheses of links between shiftwork and cancer include vitamin D – June 2011
• Severe COPD and 4.8 X increased chance of dying of cancer: low vitamin D – May 2012
• UVA decreased serum levels of vitamin D - RCT Oct 2012
• All items in category UV and vitamin D 381 items
• Overview UV and vitamin D
• UVA decreased vitamin D levels (again) – July 2013
• All items in category Predict Vitamin D 82 items

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