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Disruptions to our body clocks linked to obesity, diabetes, study finds

August 29, 2019

Otago University associate professor Alex Tups explained the importance of a full night’s sleep.

The first of two new studies by the University of Otago has found links between disruptions to our body clocks – including shift work, repeated jetlag or exposure to bright light at night – and obesity and diabetes.

Associate professor Alex Tups from the University of Otago explained that when we disrupt our body clocks, we "disrupt the ability of the brain to regulate our body weight and glucose homeostasis, or glucose levels, in our body."

He went on to tell TVNZ 1's Breakfast today: "The brain controls our glucose levels, so it is important in the development of diabetes as well. And the body clock is also located in the brain, in the region called the hypothalamus, and that region is also the centre that regulates body weight and glucose levels".

"We don't know the exact mechanism, but we know that it affects the brain, in a way, and we need to maintain a healthy rhythm to be able to maintain a healthy body weight."

He said while the best way to maintain a healthy rhythm would be "not to do shift work or getting up at four in the morning", there are other possibilities to consider, including "expos[ing] yourself to light at the right time".

Exposing yourself to light – including artificial light, such as cell phones and streetlights – at the wrong time can reset your body clock, he said.

It comes after a second study, also by the University of Otago, found that having breakfast and lunch but skipping dinner can be more beneficial to your health. 

Mr Tups said the study, which examined "time-restricted eating patterns" over an eight-hour period, found that the time people were eating was important in maintaining their body clocks.

He said the reason for this is because if we become obese, our "meal patterns are altered, so we get up in the middle of the night" to binge-eat or snack more frequently.

"Regular eating patterns is disrupted, and we found that actually when we give food at a certain time of the day, the clock gets signalled to be reset in a way.

"Everything that resets the clock on a regular basis would be beneficial for our health."

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