Food high in fat damages the body's biological clock

Researchers at the Hebrew University discovered that excess fat disrupts daily rhythms in the body

Food high in fats can lead not only to overweight but also affect the biological clock, according to a study conducted at the Hebrew University.

The biological clock is responsible for regulating the activity of various enzymes and hormones involved in the metabolic process, and any disturbance in the normal functioning of the clock can cause side effects such as: hormonal imbalance, obesity, psychological disorders, sleep disorders and even cancer.

Dr. Oren Froy and his colleagues Prof. Zachariah Medar and research student Mein Barnea from the Institute of Biochemistry, Food Sciences and Nutrition at the Robert H. Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Smith of the Hebrew University, showed in a series of experiments that there is a cause and effect relationship between proper nutrition and the activity of the biological clock in the body. The researchers checked whether the biological clock is responsible for regulating the hormone adiponectin in the liver, and if this is true - how this will affect fasting conditions and a high-fat diet.

The hormone adiponectin is secreted from fat tissue and is involved in the metabolism of glucose and fat. It is responsible for increasing the oxidation of fatty acids and increasing the sensitivity to the hormone insulin, two essential factors in maintaining the normal activity of the metabolism.

The experiment was conducted on laboratory mice, which were divided into two groups: one group was fed low-fat food, while the other group was fed high-fat food. After a fasting day for both groups, various components in the control pathway of the hormone adiponectin were measured.

It was found that in the group of mice fed a low-fat diet, the effect of adiponectin proceeded normally and the fasting caused an advance in the activity of the biological clock and metabolism. Whereas in the bodies of the mice that were fed a high-fat diet, there was a delay in the functioning of the biological clock and the metabolism. It turned out that a high-fat diet decreased the amount of a key enzyme responsible for regulating the breakdown of fatty acids in the metabolic process, while fasting increased its level.

In an article to be published in the journal Endocrinology, the researchers claim that a high-fat diet causes obesity not only due to its high calorie content, but also due to the disturbance created in the normal activity of the biological clock in the body's cells. A disruption in the biological clock leads to a disruption in metabolism and disturbances in other clock-regulating mechanisms, such as blood pressure and cycles of wakefulness and sleep.