Daylight saving time has minimal effect on heart health: Study

A recent study has examined the impacts of daylight saving time (DST) on heart health and found that the impact is likely to be minor...

We looked at five years across the US, and what we found is that it is unlikely that there is a clinically meaningful difference in cardiovascular health due to daylight saving time, said Benjamin Satterfield, MD, a cardiovascular diseases fellow and lead author of the study...

These cardiovascular events are common health conditions, so this led to the question of whether this is more than would be expected if this had not followed the daylight saving time transition, said Satterfield...

In the Mayo Clinic study, the Monday and Friday following the spring DST transition showed a statistically slight increase in the rates of cardiovascular events, but when looking at all the data, researchers did not see the rise as clinically significant, he said.. Researchers note that the time change practice was intended to align social and work activities with daylight hours and to conserve energy by using less artificial lighting..

When decisions are made about whether to abolish daylight saving time, there is no need to take concerns regarding heart health into account, said Bernard J Gersh, MB, ChB, DPhil, cardiologist and senior author of the study..

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