Summary: A recent study reveals that children ‘ domestic clocks are important factors in how much and when they eat. According to research, teenagers who are overweight or obese ate substantially more calories later in the day than those who are good.
They found that food intake rises in the late afternoon and evening irrespective of nap duration or additional time signals, isolating daily influences from environmental and behavioural factors. The findings provide a clear understanding of the physiological foundation of eating patterns and indicate that adjusting light exposure and meal timing might be able to help with weight management.
Important Information:
- Daily Impact on Eating: The biological clock regulates foods diet, peaking in the late afternoon and evening.
- Adolescents who are overweight or obese consumed more calories in the daily hour than those who are in good health.
- Possible Treatments: Adjusting gentle exposure and food schedule may help regulate eating patterns and aid weight control.
Origin: Brown University
The reasons behind fat are numerous and are influenced by many variables. Researchers have found connections between sleeping, eating habits, and weight gain, but it is still unclear whether the clock system, or the natural clock, plays a role in shaping eating habits.  ,
 , But a new research from academics at the , Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University , and , Mass General Brigham , reveals a unique relationship between daily rhythms, fat and eating habits in children, a susceptible age class whose eating habits influence their longtime health.
The study found that adolescents who were “overweight” or “obese” consumed more calories later in the day than those who were healthy.
According to lead investigator Mary Carskadon, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown’s medical school, the findings demonstrate that circadian rhythms play a significant role in modulating later caloric intake in people who are at risk for obesity.  ,
According to Carskadon, who also runs the Bradley Hospital Sleep Research Laboratory,” the crucial nature of adolescent development to set the stage for a lifetime of health highlights the need to understand the roles that sleep/wake and circadian timing processes play in eating behavior.”
” The knowledge gained here opens a door to potential interventions that can enhance teen health moving , forward”.
The , results  , were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Isolating circadian influences ,
The circadian system, which is made up of trillions of” clocks” found in virtually all tissues, organs, and cells, enables biology and behavior to adapt to the changing demands of the day/night cycle.
There are known differences between people’s levels of the circadian system as a result of a combination of genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.  ,
Previous studies used self-reported hunger and other variables to examine sleeping and eating behavior, according to study author David Barker, an associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior ( research ) at Brown.
The meticulous measurement of food before and after meals and the fact that environmental and behavioral influences were managed while the participants remained in the lab were some characteristics that set this study apart, according to Barker.
Fifty-one , volunteers between the ages of 12 and 18 participated in the study, which was conducted at the Bradley Hospital Sleep Research Laboratory. Based on body mass index, participants were divided into three groups.
They were given a 28-hour sleep and wake cycle, which is slightly longer than a typical 24-hour day, and stayed in a dim-light environment while they were awake and in complete darkness while they were asleep.
Participants remained in the same space throughout the study, which lasted for 11 days and 10 nights. Researchers removed all external time signals from the lab’s environment, including clocks and access to natural light, to prevent external influences on circadian rhythm.  ,
Participants had the option to eat six times throughout the wake episode while following a set menu, and they could eat as much food as they wanted throughout the meal.
Researchers monitored both the caloric intake and the amount of food consumed. During the day, Brown University and other institutions provided opportunities for students to participate in a variety of activities, including making crafts, watching movies ( with the screen lights dimmed ), and engaging in social interaction.  ,
The results demonstrated that circadian changes made at both the day and night had a significant impact on food consumption. Even after accounting for behavioral and environmental factors, food intake reached its highest level in all three groups in the late afternoon and early evening, which suggests that the body’s biological clock has a direct impact on how much food is consumed at various times throughout the day.
In the circadian evening, adolescents in the obesity and overweight groups ate significantly more calories than those in the healthy weight group. There were no discernible differences in total sleep time between or within the groups over the course of the study.
It was already well known that the circadian system had an impact on hunger and metabolism, according to study author Frank Scheer, director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
What remained unclear, he said, was whether the circadian system — when isolated from influences of environmental and behavioral cycles, including , light, sleep and activity cycles — directly influences food consumption.  ,
This study is the first to demonstrate that our internal body clock controls food consumption, according to Scheer.
Body clocks, food intake and weight
Future studies are required to determine whether affecting circadian control of food intake contributes to weight changes, whether weight changes impact the circadian control of food intake, or whether either of these factors are related to weight changes.  ,
Carskadon claimed that clinicians who are advising adolescents on ways to manage their weight could use the findings from the study to inform them.  ,
” For instance, excluding light late in the day and increasing bright light in the morning, especially while exercising,” said Carskadon.
” That might help improve the rhythms and foster healthy habits,” he added.
With future research,  , the team aims to gain a deeper understanding of the interactions between the circadian system, diet and metabolism, as well as the mechanisms underlying these relationships, and the implications for developing timed dietary interventions to improve health.  ,
Funding: The research was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases ( R01 DK101046 ), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ( R01HL153969 ),  , the National Institutes of Health ( R01-HL140574, R01-HL153969, R01-HL167746, R01-HL164454 ) and the COBRE Center for Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Child and Adolescent Mental Health funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences ( P20GM139743 ).
About this news about research into neurodevelopment and circadian rhythms
Author: Corrie Pikul
Source: Brown University
Contact: Corrie Pikul – Brown University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will appear in PNAS
