Annoyed biological clock makes you fat

Overweight due to impairments of the biological clock

12/11/2012

Malfunctions of the biological clock lead to overweight and obesity. The researchers around Georgios Paschos and Garret FitzGerald from the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia come to this conclusion. The scientists have shown in experiments with mice that the elimination of the so-called ARNTL gene in the fat cells of the animals, which „a nucleus of the molecular clock component“ of hunger, leading to a shift in the daily rhythm of food intake and obesity.

Was the ARNTL („Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like) gene was eliminated in the fat cells of mice, according to the scientists showed a significant increase in body weight, although the animals no longer recorded calories than before. Only the time of feeding had changed by the influence of the biological clock in the fat cells. This suggests that daily mealtimes, regardless of calorie intake, have a significant impact on overweight development.

Gene in fat cells affects the biological clock
Essentially, hunger is caused by the increased release of so-called neuropeptides in the hypothalamus, the control center in the brain for the autonomic nervous system. Here, the information of the adipocytes (fat cells) are processed, which store excess energy in the form of triglycerides and report the level of stored energy to the brain, write the US researchers in the journal „Nature Medicine“.

Time of food intake Cause of overweight?
According to the US researchers, the current study provides two key findings. For one thing, you can tell that already „a relatively small change in mealtimes may favor storing additional energy“, emphasized Georgios Paschos. Because the „Mice became overweight, even though they did not consume more calories.“ Only the time of food intake had shifted. This is for example comparable to people who tend to fry attacks at night and thereby gain significantly in weight, although they tend to eat little during the rest of the day. The findings of the US researchers make clear at this point that in the prevention of obesity and the daily course of food intake must be considered.

Biological clock in fat cells affects the biological clock in the brain
The second important finding of the US researchers is that the biological clock of adipocytes has a significant impact on the „temporal organization of regulation in the energy sector“ Has. So far, the assumption has been that the biological clock in the outer tissues, such as the fat cells, is based on the biological clock in the brain. The peripheral clocks follow the conductor in the brain. „We have long known that the peripheral clocks can work independently of the master clock, after all, a drummer can also drum without instructions from the conductor“, Garret FitzGerald explained, adding: „ But here we see now that a different rhythm of slave clocks can even affect the master clock.“ It should also be considered that impairments of the internal clock, for example, through shift work during the night, can lead to permanent metabolic disorders or metabolic diseases such as diabetes. (Fp)

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Image: Marco Barnebeck