High-fat diet disrupts behavioral and molecular circadian rhythms in mice.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal research (CEBM Level 5)
PubMed 17983587 · doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2007.09.006
What was done
Mice were fed a high-fat diet to evaluate the effects of high-calorie intake on behavioral and molecular circadian rhythms. The authors analyzed changes in the period of locomotor activity and measured the expression and cycling of canonical clock genes, regulatory nuclear receptors, and clock-controlled fuel-utilization genes across the hypothalamus, liver, and adipose tissue.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or statistical metrics. Qualitatively, a high-fat diet altered the period of locomotor activity and disrupted the expression and cycling of core clock genes and clock-controlled metabolic regulators across central and peripheral tissues.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence that dietary energy balance feeds back to modulate the function of the mammalian circadian timing system.
Limits
The study was conducted in mice and cannot be directly generalized to humans. The abstract does not report the sample size (n), mouse strains, specific dietary macronutrient breakdowns, exposure duration, or quantitative data.
Cited by
- supports Feeding mice a high-fat diet disrupts their circadian eating rhythm, causing them to feed erratically throughout both day and night.