Disrupted body clocks driving modern maladies

With modern life putting our body clocks way out of sync, a new condition has emerged known as Circadian Syndrome, and according to a Monash University expert it is causing chronic diseases.

Modern life is disrupting people’s body clocks and creating a new world syndrome featuring diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other killers, one of Australia’s foremost experts claims.

A world bombarded with nightly light pollution, blocked out sun during the day, temperature controlled buildings, overeating, social and workplace stress, sedentary behaviour, shift work and jet lag is destroying peoples’ circadian rhythms, according to Monash University diabetes Professor Paul Zimmet.

With established links to chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiac disease, Prof Zimmet this month published a paper outlining evidence for the situation to be recognised as a new condition, known as Circadian Syndrome, so doctors pay greater attention to their patients’ body clocks.

“Our body clock controls everything in our body — hormones, reactions, liver function, kidney function, the whole works,” Prom Zimmet said.

Doctors are paying greater attention to their patients‘ body clocks.

“We talk about individual disease states without actually looking at the fact the modern lifestyle actually causes disruption to the circadian rhythm.

“The invention of the electric light for example has facilitated a world where people work, sleep eat and play at all hours of the day.

“We have all these features of modern society, but we really don’t talk about it at a public health level.

“Doctors in general practice and specialists ought to be more conscious of the fact that when they see someone with these features they shouldn’t just treat the blood cholesterol, or the blood sugar or the blood pressure, they should be asking ‘are you depressed etc’.”

Currently conditions including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol are grouped together under the banner of Metabolic Syndrome.

In a paper published in the respected Journal of Internal Medicine Prof Zimmet also links sleep problems, depression and fatty liver to the group, stating they all stem from circadian rhythm disturbance.

MORE: HOSTIE HITS BACK AT ‘FAT-SHAMED’ PASSENGER

THINK IT’S COLD? WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW

While the move is likely to be controversial among his colleagues, Prof Zimmet said evidence was mounting and a debate was needed so clinicians can examine measures such as the better timing of exercise, light exposure, eating, taking medications and sleeping.

“We are fighting against our natural God-given metabolic controls,” he said.

“It’s a bit like climate change, we have to start pulling this back.

“We have to educate the public better. This is not out there, how important body rhythms are in relation to the fact their hormones, the diet they eat, do effect circadian rhythm.”

[e-mail]