It was found that working odd hours or night shifts disrupted the signals the liver sends to the brain that tell it whether eating is in sync with the body clock, the researchers said. The results could help treat the negative effects of eating at unusual times, such as overeating. Eating at irregular times is said to be linked to weight gain and diabetes, primarily because it is out of sync with one’s body clock, or circadian rhythm – a 24-hour cycle of physical, mental and behavioral changes, including sleep. And food is included. ,
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in the US found that working unusual hours disrupts the liver’s internal clock and its signals, causing the brain to overwork, increasing the tendency to overeat at inappropriate times. The results, published in the journal Science, show that targeting specific parts of the vagus nerve — through which the liver communicates with the brain — may help people who work night shifts or experience jet lag, the team said. Can help deal with overeating.
“Both mice and humans typically eat at a time when they are awake and alert,” says senior author Michelle Lazar, professor of diabetes and metabolism, “and this circuit provides feedback from the liver to a central clock in the brain that Keeps the system running smoothly.” Rogge, University of Pennsylvania, said.
“This feedback happens through neural connections from the liver to the brain,” Lazar said.
For the study, researchers looked at the REV-ERB gene in mice, which are known to have similar genetic material and biological processes to humans, and help both of them control the body clock.
The team said that turning off these genes caused the mice to develop a faulty clock in the liver, which led to dramatically changed eating habits, with more food being eaten during less active hours. However, the negative effects may be reversible, as cutting neural connections in obese mice restores normal eating habits and reduces food intake.
“This suggests that targeting this liver-brain communication (pathway) may be a promising approach to weight management in individuals with disrupted circadian rhythms,” said study author Lauren Ann Woody, a post-doctoral researcher in Lazar’s laboratory. .
“Our findings reveal a homeostatic feedback signal that depends on communication between the liver and the brain to regulate circadian food intake patterns. This implicates the hepatic vagus nerve as a potential therapeutic target for obesity in the setting of chronodisruption. Identifies,” he wrote.
