Overview

• The Mayo Clinic Proceedings study analyzed 226,459 UK Biobank participants over a median 13.7 years, identifying 2,893 new kidney stone cases.
• After adjustment for confounders, any shift work was associated with a 15% higher hazard of kidney stone events, with the highest risk observed for night shifts at 22%.
• Mediation analyses indicated partial contributions from higher BMI, low fluid intake, smoking, unhealthy sleep duration, and sedentary time.
• Risk elevations were greater among younger workers and those with minimal manual labor, while longer shift-work duration correlated with slightly lower risk, suggesting selection or adaptation effects.
• An accompanying editorial points to circadian rhythm disruption as a plausible mechanism and urges employer-led steps such as better hydration access, sleep support, physical activity, weight management, and smoking cessation.