Adjusting Meal Timings Might Help Ease Jet Lag

A new study from Japan suggests that manipulating meal times can help in easing jet lag symptoms.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Yamaguchi University, Japan, was based on mice models.

"During jet lag, our bodies on their own may adapt very slowly. But we can make use of the knowledge of our study. If you were flying from London to Japan, you'd have an eight-hour phase-advance. So from our study using mice, the correct time to eat more would be earlier in the day," Miho Sato, one of the study authors, told New Scientist.

Changes in the internal biological clock often lead to health problems. Several studies have shown the link between light exposure and circadian rhythm. A brain region called suprachiasmatic nucleus is involved in resetting the biological clock based on the time of light exposure.  

The new research shows that there are several secondary time-keepers (peripheral body clocks) in the body that affect the circadian rhythm and one of these - the "Insulin-mediated phase adjustment of the clock" can be used to cope with jet-lag.

"Chronic desynchronization between physiological and environmental rhythms not only decreases physiological performance but also carries a significant risk of diverse disorders such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, sleep disorders, and cancer," said Dr. Makoto Akashi, of Yamaguchi University, in Japan, according to a news release.

Insulin is a hormone that regulates levels of glucose in the body. The hormone is secreted in response to food intake and could be used to trick the body into thinking that it is following a normal routine.

For the study, researchers shifted the peripheral body clock in the livers of mice by giving them food at night. The mice were then divided into two groups and suppressed insulin levels in one of two groups. All the mice were then given food in the morning, New Scientist reported.

Four days later, researchers found that mice with non-suppressed insulin had normal daily circadian rhythm while those in the suppressed insulin group hadn't readjusted to the new food timings.

The study was conducted on mice. But, researchers say that shifting food intake timings might be helpful in coping with a jet lag.

The study is published in the journal Cell Reports.