Here's how disrupted eating schedules can affect your body
| Updated: Apr 29, 2019, 11:43 IST
Do you feel irritated when you don't get to eat at the right time? Does your body start feeling weird if your eating schedule is disrupted? Well, turns out you're not just 'Hangry'. A new study has found that disrupted or irregular eating schedules can have quite the adverse effects on your body. We each have a body clock which is a 24-hour clock that is pretty much synchronised with our cells. What it does is that it sets the timing for everything and drives daily rhythms in our physiology like our sleep cycle, hormonal changes, response to medication etc.
The team was trying to figure out ways in which ill-health associated with disruption of the body clock could be alleviated. Our body happens to be synchronised with the environment which is how it sets timings for things. So, exposure to daylight, darkness and meal times can have a huge effect on the body clock. So, when there are certain factors that prevent us from eating at the right time like travelling, shift work, jet lag etc, it can all have a negative effect on the body clock. However, earlier it was not known what exactly was causing the disruptions.
Now, the researchers have found that insulin may have a part to play in this story. It was found that insulin worked as the primary signal that helped set the timing for everything in the body. When a study was conducted on mice, it was found that insulin was released when they ate and after this, the insulin helped stimulate the production of a protein called 'period', which worked its way into every cell to help set timings in the cells.
The lead researcher of the project said, "At the heart of these cellular clocks is a complex set of molecules whose interaction provides precise 24-hour timing. What we have shown here is that the insulin, released when we eat, can act as a timing signal to cells throughout our body." The researchers also found that when the mice were provided insulin at the wrong timings, it disrupted their body cycle which in turn disrupted their ability to differentiate between day time and night.
"We already know that modern society poses many challenges to our health and wellbeing - things that are viewed as commonplace, such as shift-work, sleep deprivation, and jet lag, disrupt our body clock. It is now becoming clear that circadian disruption is increasing the incidence and severity of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes," said one researcher.
"Our data suggests that eating at the wrong times could have a major impact on our circadian rhythms. There is still work to do here, but paying particular attention to meal timing and light exposure is likely the best way to mitigate the adverse effects of shift-work. Even for those who work more traditional hours, being careful about when we eat is an important way to help maintain healthy body clocks, especially as we age," added another researcher. Stay tuned for more updates.
The team was trying to figure out ways in which ill-health associated with disruption of the body clock could be alleviated. Our body happens to be synchronised with the environment which is how it sets timings for things. So, exposure to daylight, darkness and meal times can have a huge effect on the body clock. So, when there are certain factors that prevent us from eating at the right time like travelling, shift work, jet lag etc, it can all have a negative effect on the body clock. However, earlier it was not known what exactly was causing the disruptions.
Now, the researchers have found that insulin may have a part to play in this story. It was found that insulin worked as the primary signal that helped set the timing for everything in the body. When a study was conducted on mice, it was found that insulin was released when they ate and after this, the insulin helped stimulate the production of a protein called 'period', which worked its way into every cell to help set timings in the cells.
The lead researcher of the project said, "At the heart of these cellular clocks is a complex set of molecules whose interaction provides precise 24-hour timing. What we have shown here is that the insulin, released when we eat, can act as a timing signal to cells throughout our body." The researchers also found that when the mice were provided insulin at the wrong timings, it disrupted their body cycle which in turn disrupted their ability to differentiate between day time and night.
"We already know that modern society poses many challenges to our health and wellbeing - things that are viewed as commonplace, such as shift-work, sleep deprivation, and jet lag, disrupt our body clock. It is now becoming clear that circadian disruption is increasing the incidence and severity of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes," said one researcher.
"Our data suggests that eating at the wrong times could have a major impact on our circadian rhythms. There is still work to do here, but paying particular attention to meal timing and light exposure is likely the best way to mitigate the adverse effects of shift-work. Even for those who work more traditional hours, being careful about when we eat is an important way to help maintain healthy body clocks, especially as we age," added another researcher. Stay tuned for more updates.