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3h ago

Stanford Study Puts Big Numbers on Health Costs of Clock Changes as EU Stalemate Persists

EU governments remain divided over whether to fix permanent summer or standard time.

Bafög, Reifen, Winterzeit – das ändert sich im Oktober
Image
Forscher empfehlen dauerhafte Standardzeit zur Reduktion von Schlaganfällen und Adipositas.

Overview

  • A new Stanford analysis estimates that ending biannual clock changes could prevent about 306,000 strokes annually in the U.S. under permanent standard time and roughly 220,000 under permanent summer time.
  • Researchers also project approximately 2.6 million fewer U.S. obesity cases with permanent standard time and about 1.7 million fewer with permanent summer time, attributing harms to disruption of the body clock.
  • The study and earlier research associate the spring shift that cuts one hour of sleep with elevated cardiovascular risk, including a measurable rise in heart attacks.
  • Despite an EU consultation in 2018 showing 84% of respondents favored abolition and a 2019 Parliament vote to end the practice, member states have not settled on a single permanent regime.
  • No Council decision is scheduled as capitals consider ideas such as a 30-minute "half summer time" or redrawn time zones, with Denmark leaving the topic off its presidency program and Lithuania signaling interest in prioritizing it in 2027.