New research indicates that the body’s internal clock might influence the amount and timing of food consumption among teenagers.

The research revealed that teenagers who were overweight or obese consumed higher calorie intake during late evenings as opposed to their peers maintaining a normal weight.

“Entering this research, we were aware that the body’s internal clock influences appetite and metabolic processes,” said Frank Scheer, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in the United States and an author of the study.

said in a statement.

Nevertheless, researchers aimed to determine whether this connection remained consistent “when separated from the impacts of environmental and behavioral rhythms, such as lighting, sleep patterns, and activity cycles.”

“This study is the first to demonstrate that food intake itself is regulated by our internal body clock,” Scheer added.

The researchers followed more than 50 teenagers aged between 12 and 18 who stayed in a controlled indoor environment with dimmed lighting when they were awake and complete darkness when they were asleep for 11 days and 10 nights.

The participants had a 28-hour schedule as part of the study instead of a traditional 24-hour sleep and wake cycle, the researchers said. Participants did not have clocks or natural light to influence their circadian clocks.

According to the research findings, investigators monitored the timing and quantity of food consumption and discovered that adolescents’ dietary behaviors were affected by their internal circadian rhythm or natural body clock.

published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences


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Participants consumed the largest quantities of food during the late afternoon and early evening, with the smallest amounts eaten in the morning.

The teens dealing with weight issues such as being overweight or obese consumed more calories during later meals.

Health advantages associated with maintaining a regular routine for both your body and mind

“We haven’t completely grasped the connections between behavioral patterns, body clocks, and eating habits, and we’re also unsure about which factor influences the other,” said David Barker, an associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University in the U.S., who was one of the study’s contributors, during an interview with LIFEHACKHealth.

“There are numerous advantages for both physical and mental well-being from adhering to a regular sleep routine with a duration suited to one’s age, and we urge teenagers to focus on enhancing their sleep habits,” he noted in an email.

More studies are required to gain deeper insights into how our body’s circadian rhythm, along with eating habits, influences body weight.

It could be that the differences among teens are not due to “how the circadian system operates per se” but potentially other factors such as “differences in hormones regulating hunger and satiety” or emotional or behavioural influences, according to Barker.

“The critical nature of adolescent development to set the stage for a lifetime of health highlights the need to understand the roles played by sleep/wake and circadian timing processes for eating behaviour,” Mary Carskadon, a professor of psychiatry at Brown University, added

in a statement

.

“The knowledge gained here opens a door to potential interventions that can enhance teen health moving forward,” she said.