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Disrupted Rhythms Linked to Diabetes

By On · Add Comment · In biological clock, circadian rhythms, disease, genetic mutations, insulin resistance, melatonin, sleep patterns, type 2 diabetes, vitality

More evidence that disrupted body rhythms affect health…negatively. I wrote a piece recently for the Champion’s Club Community on rhythmic sleeping. The premise: we do much better when we follow our natural rhythms, whether talking about dietary habits or sleep patterns. And by observing our rhythms, we’ll be less likely to throw our physiological fluctuations off.

Case in point: Researchers from Imperial College London found a connection between disruptions in the biological clock and type 2 diabetes. They found that people who have rare genetic mutations in the receptor for melatonin have a greatly increased risk for adult-onset diabetes.

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a hormone present in numerous living organisms from animals, to plants, to microbes. In animals, circulating levels have an effect on many processes related to the biological clock (our daily sleep-wake cycles), among many other processes including cancer suppression.

Melatonin works primarily through activation of melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2). Along with the sleep-wake cycle, melatonin influences insulin release getting the body ready for sugar metabolism following a meal. Mutations in the MT2 receptor (four rare ones to be exact) is associated with a six times increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which is a disorder of decreased insulin receptors causing insulin resistance and relative deficiency. The researchers report that the mutations of MT2 receptors disrupt the connection between the body clock and insulin release, resulting in abnormal control of blood sugar.

The investigators looked at over 7,000 people to evaluate the MT2 gene. They identified 40 variants associated with type 2 diabetes, four of which are very rare and make the receptor incapable of responding to melatonin. The effect of these four variants was then confirmed in an additional group of nearly 12,000 people. While the study found a link between the mutations and diabetes–no direct causal relationship was concluded.

So I go back to the main point of my thoughts on body rhythms–it’s best to maintain our rhythms for the most part. What I mean is that if you generally eat three meals a day, you’d be wise to not fluctuate from that rhythm, and eat at pretty much the same time every day. And the same is true for our sleep cycles: it’s best to develop and maintain a rhythm, so that you don’t disrupt your own metabolism by interfering with your natural body clock. Erratic sleep patterns are the quickest way to a sleep disorder, which will diminish health.

This current study is just further support of what I believe to be a universal principle of rhythm. Live within universal laws and you will feel–and demonstrate–the most vitality. Along with practicing the other six keys to optimal health, observing natural rhythms will help you avoid the extreme fluctuations that can lead to dis-ease.  Oscillate wisely.

Bright Light and Vitamins Help Dementia

By On · Add Comment · In Alzheimer's, antioxidant, dementia, elderly, insomnia, light, melatonin, sleep, sun, supplements

What’s the best thing you can do for a loved one suffering from dementia? Open the shades and let the light shine through during the day, and give them melatonin supplements at night. This according to a recent study out of the Netherlands this month. The research, conducted at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam, showed that increasing light exposure, either from the sun or from fluorescent lights, along with nightly melatonin supplementation, helped elderly people suffering from dementia improve their sleep, mood, and overall well-being.

The study looked at 189 elderly Dutch women who were split into groups according to whether they were exposed to bright lights, given melatonin supplements, or both. Other groups were given standard Alzheimer’s medication, while others were given nothing at all. They then looked at various mental factors such as cognitive function, mood (as in depression and agitation), and sleep function. The researchers found that the group receiving bright lights and melatonin fared as well as those on the Alzheimer’s medication. Considering the side effects which usually accompany the medication (nausea mostly), these findings offer a great deal of encouragement.

I find this study especially interesting as I believe we can extrapolate these observations to the general population. I highly advocate both regular sun exposure and melatonin supplementation for overall health and well-being. Think about it: the source of all energy in the solar system is our sun. Every plant, animal, microbe, fungus or algae needs energy either directly from the sun, or by consuming another energetic life form. Either way, the energetic chain begins with the sun. Nothing could survive without the life-giving force of our primary star. So why would anybody avoid it? Yes, I know: skin cancer propaganda is at its highest–dermatologist need to market too–but we all need sunlight, plain and simple.

Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythms, or our sleep cycles (you’ve read about it in The Six Keys To Optimal Health, right?). It is also a great natural remedy for insomnia. Melatonin has many other non-sleep related benefits. For instance, it has antioxidant properties. It has also been studied as a therapy against certain cancers. And it has also shown promise as an agent to boost memory and learning ability. Throw this in with the current findings on dementia, and what you’ve got is a very useful little substance.

One does need to be careful with both sun exposure and melatonin, though. Obviously, too much sun-worship can cause serious health problems. And taking melatonin every day can cause dependence, nasty withdrawals, and sluggishness when taken in too large a concentration. So I recommend taking it a couple time a week only, and then laying off completely for longer stretches, like say a month or so. Other than that, both practices should be highly beneficial and therefore done by everyone.

Sleep and Cancer

By On · Add Comment · In anti-oxidant, cancer, circadian rhythms, melatonin, pineal gland, shift work, sleep

Have I mentioned how important sleep is? Just another reason to catch enough shuteye–researchers have found that shift work (work that can disrupt normal sleep patterns like firefighting or long rounds in emergency rooms) can actually cause cancer by repeatedly disturbing the body’s internal clock. The internal clock is responsible for regulating circadian rhythms, a complex mechanism involved in many body functions including hormonal and neurological balance.

The study was carried out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the French-based cancer agency of the World Health Organization, which looked at several studies showing the links between shift work and cancer. In one study, it was found that women who work night shifts may have a 60 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer. In another study, tests in mice showed that circadian clock genes are disrupted in tumor cells. And in yet other studies, evidence shows that firefighters, who breathe in smoke, chemicals and dust and who also work shifts, have a higher risk of cancer and heart disease.

Scientists believe that the culprit in the cancer susceptibility may be the body’s response to light. The brain’s pineal gland produces melatonin, a hormone necessary for regulating the internal clock, and which also acts as a cancer fighting anti-oxidant. When repeatedly subjected to light and sleep deprivation, the body’s normal melatonin production is disrupted, which can lower the protective and balancing effects of melatonin.

Careers that are primarily shift work include firefighting, health-care, industrial, transportation, communications, and hospitality. I’d also like to point out that regular late-night partying with stimulants and narcotics would also fall under the category of extreme shift work. The agency stresses, though, that these findings are preliminary, and that it would take another five years to understand the situation fully and what can be done about it.

Shift work is going to be with us forever. Some jobs just require round-the-clock availability, period. However, it’s important to get the sleep while you can. If you’re a shift worker, then you’ve got to try to get your seven to eight hours consecutively and consistently. These finding may help employers manage shift schedules more effectively, helping their employees, and their businesses, in the long run. Until then, try to get used to a regular sleep routine within the constraints of your work schedule–it’ll save you years of exhaustion, or worse.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.