Restricted feeding uncouples circadian oscillators in peripheral tissues from the central pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Preclinical animal and bench research with no human data
PubMed 11114885 · doi:10.1101/gad.183500
What was done
Researchers investigated the effect of restricted daytime feeding schedules under both light-dark and continuous dark-dark conditions on circadian clock gene expression in the central pacemaker (suprachiasmatic nucleus, SCN) and peripheral organs (liver, kidney, heart, and pancreas) in mammals.
What was found
Temporal feeding restriction shifted the phase of circadian gene expression in peripheral cell types by up to 12 hours without altering rhythmic gene expression phase in the SCN. Resetting occurred gradually rather than immediately, proceeding more rapidly in liver than in kidney, heart, or pancreas. After 1 week of daytime feeding, circadian gene expression phases were aligned across all examined peripheral tissues. The abstract reports no quantitative statistical values or specific animal sample sizes.
Why it matters
This study established that feeding timing acts as a dominant zeitgeber for peripheral tissue clocks capable of uncoupling them from the light-entrained central master clock in the SCN.
Limits
The abstract does not specify the animal species, sample sizes, specific feeding protocols, or exact quantitative effect sizes. Findings from animal models under strict feeding schedules may not directly translate to human metabolic and circadian physiology.
Cited by
- supports The timing of food intake, rather than light-dark cycles, sets the phase of cycling genes in the mammalian liver.