Summary: A recent study examines how daily rhythms affect our eating habits. People who work night shifts or at irregular hours can disrupt this liver-brain communication, which may result in weight gain and metabolic problems.
The liver-specific REV-ERB protein, which regulates this inner time, was the subject of the research. When disrupted, animals ate more during dormant days, but restoring nerve relationships improved eating styles. According to this study, upcoming treatments that target the liver-brain may aid in the management of metabolic problems in people with unusual schedules.
Major Information
- Daily Sync: The brain sends hormones to regulate eating habits and daily rhythms.
- REV-ERB’s Role: This proteins in liver cells helps in the brain’s internal time, crucial for healthy eating routines.
- Possible Therapy: Identifying liver-brain impulses may help those who work nights shifts or jet lag with irregular eating habits.
Origin: University of Pennsylvania
People who work the night shift or other nights and eat irregularly are more likely to gain weight and diabetes, probably as a result of eating habits that are n’t tied to daylight saving time and how people normally eat. However, despite not being medically desirable, is it still possible to avoid the negative effects of eating at these “unusual” days?
A brand-new study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine reveals that the body determines when to take.
The research, published today in , Science,  , explains how scientists discovered a connection between the body’s inner time and feeding centres in the mind.
The study conducted by the team demonstrated that the vagus nerve in the heart communicates signals to the brain when eating is done in accordance with the body’s circadian rhythm.
Working unusually long time can cause these impulses to be stifle. The head next overcompensates, leading to overeating at the bad times.
” Both mice and humans typically eat at times when they are awake and alert, and this loop provides feedback from the heart to the key time in the mind that keeps the system running smoothly”, said the study’s top publisher,  , Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD,  , the chairman of Penn Medicine’s Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, and the Ware Professor of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases.
The heart and mind have a brain connection, according to the statement.
Researchers especially looked for REV-ERB genes in mice’s liver cells. REV-ERBs are essential proteins that help control the body’s circadian rhythm. The brain’s circadian rhythm is an inner 24-hour pattern that regulates several actions including sleep-wake processes, hormone release, and eating habits.
Eating patterns changed dramatically when these REV-ERB genes were turned off in mice, changing the liver’s internal clock, leading to more food being consumed at times when the body was not actively moving.
The effects were reversible. In obese mice, normal eating habits and decreased food intake were restored after cutting the nerve connection.
” This suggests that targeting this liver-brain communication pathway could be a promising approach for weight management in individuals with disrupted circadian rhythms”, said Lauren N. Woodie, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher in Lazar’s lab.
The research team suggests that addressing overeating brought on by erratic body clocks could benefit those working night shifts or experiencing jet lag by targeting specific areas of the vagus nerve.
” These findings will help those who struggle with metabolic disorders brought on by irregular eating habits,” says Dr. Jakob.
To better understand how the liver communicates with the vagus nerve through its chemical signals, researchers should concentrate on what kind of chemical signals.
Funding: The study was funded by the National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive Diseases, and Metabolism, the JPB Foundation, and the Cox Medical Research Institute.
About this news about research into circadian rhythms
Author: Matthew Toal
Source: University of Pennsylvania
Contact: Matthew Toal – University of Pennsylvania
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access.
By Mitchell Lazar and colleagues,” Hepatic vagal afferents regulate circadian food intake by transferring clock-dependent signals..” Science
Abstract
Hepatic vagal afferents regulate circadian food intake by transferring clock-dependent signals.
Although it is unknown how synchronous or desynchronous signals are transmitted among tissues, shiftwork or jet lag contributes to metabolic health.
We discover that the hepatic vagal afferent nerve ( HVAN ) is responsible for the brain’s signaling of liver molecular clock dysfunction, which is corrected by the removal of the HVAN.
Hepatic branch vagotomy also stops high-fat dieting-induced food-intake disruption and stops body weight gain.
Our findings reveal a homeostatic feedback signal that controls circadian food intake patterns through communication between the brain and the liver.
In the context of chronodisruption, this indicates that the hepatic vagus nerve may serve as a potential therapeutic target for obesity.
