Decoding the Liver's Clock: A Step Toward Combatting Shift-Work Overeating

The study explores how irregular working hours impact the liver's signals to the brain, disrupting natural eating patterns and leading to overeating. The research highlights targeting liver-brain communication as a potential solution for weight management, particularly for those with inconsistent circadian rhythms, like night workers or frequent travelers.

New research highlights the disruption caused by working odd hours on the liver's communication with the brain, which affects natural eating patterns. This disruption, scientists say, could be key to understanding overeating in shift workers.

Conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, the study reveals that irregular working hours disturb the liver's internal clock, which sends signals to the brain. These disturbed signals prompt the brain to overcompensate, leading to overeating at inappropriate times, researchers found.

Published in Science, the findings suggest that targeting the liver-brain communication pathway, particularly the vagus nerve, might help curtail overeating and aid weight management in individuals with disrupted circadian rhythms. The study shows promise for treating conditions stemming from misaligned biological clocks, including obesity and diabetes.

(With inputs from agencies.)