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from the don't-feed-them-after-midnight dept.
Salk scientists discover that periods of fasting can protect against obesity and diabetes
LA JOLLA—Scientists at the Salk Institute found that mice lacking the biological clocks thought to be necessary for a healthy metabolism could still be protected against obesity and metabolic diseases by having their daily access to food restricted to a 10-hour window.
The work, which appeared in the journal Cell Metabolism on August 30, 2018, suggests that the health problems associated with disruptions to animals' 24-hour rhythms of activity and rest—which in humans is linked to eating for most of the day or doing shift work—can be corrected by eating all calories within a 10-hour window.
"For many of us, the day begins with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and ends with a bedtime snack 14 or 15 hours later," says Satchidananda Panda, a professor in Salk's Regulatory Biology Laboratory and the senior author of the new paper. "But restricting food intake to 10 hours a day, and fasting the rest, can lead to better health, regardless of our biological clock."
[...] the good news, say the researchers, is that a simple lifestyle such as eating all food within 10 hours can restore balance, stave off metabolic diseases and maintain health. "Many of us may have one or more disease-causing defective genes that make us feel helpless and destined to be sick. The finding that a good lifestyle can beat the bad effects of defective genes opens new hope to stay healthy," says Panda.
So... it's better to watch when you eat that what you eat? Bring on the Twinkies!
Journal Reference:
Amandine Chaix, Terry Lin, Hiep D. Le, Max W. Chang, Satchidananda Panda. Time-Restricted Feeding Prevents Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Mice Lacking a Circadian Clock. Cell Metabolism, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.08.004
(Score: 5, Informative) by Reziac on Tuesday September 11 2018, @02:04PM (2 children)
Get a *full* thyroid workup (NOT just a TSH test). "Metabolic syndrome" (high cholesterol, high blood sugar, along with persistent hunger/leptin resistance and inability to lose weight) and "permanent jet lag" are very typical for hypothyroidism. In fact, per a vast pile of data which has almost entirely failed to trickle down to medical practice, obesity's various co-morbidities (including type 2 diabetes) appear to be NOT caused by obesity, but rather are symptoms of hypothyroidism, of which obesity is just one symptom of many. A pathologist noted that "low T3 [thyroid] syndrome" was obviously present at autopsy in 50% of fatal cardiac incidents, but of course this will never be studied because you can't ethically induce a fatal condition. One shrink found 90% of his bipolar patients were instantly cured by treating them as hypothyroid and putting them on T3 (to prevent metabolic swings)... meaning that in fact they were not bipolar, but suffered from Hashimoto's thyroiditis. -- When hypothyroid symptoms are present at birth, it can be due to a pituitary defect.
Symptoms of thyroid deficiency can be as apparently-unrelated as adult tooth decay and some cancers. A non-exhaustive list:
http://www.sarahwilson.com/2014/07/300-typical-thyroid-symptoms-yep-that-many/ [sarahwilson.com]
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 11 2018, @07:44PM (1 child)
Yeah, every fat person I meet tells me they have a "thyroid issue", than proceeds to scarf down more food in one sitting than I do in a week.
Every fatso will self diagnose thyroid issue, too.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Reziac on Wednesday September 12 2018, @08:24AM
Actually, they're about half right. Hypothyroid persons often gain weight even without over-eating, but low thyroid makes you FAR more inclined to overeat. This is partly due to the brain being starved for energy (so you only feel satisfied, awake, and not depressed when you've just consumed a bunch of sugar), and partly due to leptin resistance (which makes you feel ravenously hungry ALL the time).
One problem I see over and over is that hypothyroidism seems to make the affected person more likely to avoid treatment, as if one critical symptom is that the condition is self-reinforcing. Might be because those who self-medicate with food become addicted to the 'rush' of feeling normal right after they eat (the only time their brains are not starving).
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.