New research has revealed information as to why shift workers; people who suffer jet-lag; people with sleep disorders or people advancing in age seem to have more heart disease compared to people in other groups. Researchers have discovered there is an internal body clock that regulates enzyme production in the liver. These enzymes determine how the liver handles the food we eat and potentially toxic metabolites. The problem is the enzymes function at different levels depending on the time of day.
According to Dr Michael Hastings, who led the research, "Circadian rhythms or our internal body clock adapt us to the solar and social 24 hour world by driving our daily rhythms of behaviour, physiology and metabolism. When these natural cycles go awry we perform less well and feel dreadful. In particular, when our body clocks are disturbed so as to cause a mismatch between when and what we eat and what the body is able to process at meal times, nutrients are handled less effectively, for example fats will not be cleared from the blood stream and blood sugar levels will not be regulated appropriately." This research is published in the journal Current Biology.
