A recent study led by researchers part of the Trinity Biomedical Science Institute has linked sleep patterns to fat gain and other metabolic processes. This has particularly resonant implications for students and shift workers who are prone to falling out of sync with their circadian rhythms due to irregular sleep.
Circadian rhythms are biological processes that operate on a 24-hour cycle, ensuring that key biological functions occur at specific times of day to synchronise the body with external environmental cues. The new study has uncovered that an immune molecule within fat tissue, known as interleukin-17A (IL-17A), plays a regulatory role in fat storage. As part of the immune system, this molecule operates on a circadian rhythm, meaning its efficiency in regulating fat storage is largely determined by quality of sleep.
The research, led by TCD professor Lydia Lynch and published in leading international journal Nature, showed that mice missing “molecular clock” genes (fat regulation genes affected by circadian rhythms) had impaired fat processing and storage compared to control mice with functioning molecular clock genes. These missing genes affected the production of IL-17A cells in fat tissue.
This could have significant implications for the health of anyone with irregular sleep, particularly students and shift workers. Shift workers are labourers whose service is operational at all times i.e. doctors, nurses or law enforcement. These workers often have long shifts that extend past midnight and are prone to less than regular sleep.
Lynch who is a visiting professor of molecular biology from the Ludwig cancer research institute, Princeton university, commented on the importance of this research in a era of constant technological engagement “Modern life frequently disrupts natural sleep patterns […] Many of us, despite feeling fatigued, find ourselves scrolling through social media far longer than intended each night.” This sustained connectivity and irregular sleep could diminish the efficiency of fat storage and lead to serious consequences like tissue wasting and obesity.
Obesity continues to be a large issue in Irish health. In the Healthy Ireland Survey 2022, conducted by the HSE, research showed that 21% of people in Ireland are obese. Obesity was most prevalent in ages 45-64 when metabolism begins to slow and hormonal changes make it harder to lose weight. Lynch commented on the personal and national effects of obesity saying “Obesity is an increasingly prevalent condition with extensive, detrimental effects on health and wellbeing, and it places a substantial burden on healthcare systems worldwide.”
