A new mouse study suggests that a brain system that controls the sleep/wake
cycle might also play a role in regulating appetite and metabolism. Mice
with a mutation in a gene called "Clock," which helps drive circadian
rhythm, ate significantly more and gained more weight. The finding could
help explain why disrupted sleep patterns-particularly when combined with a
high-fat diet--are associated with excessive weight gain and the onset of
metabolic syndrome in some people, according to investigators supported by
the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The study, by Fred W. Turek, Ph.D., and Joseph Bass, M.D., Ph.D., of
Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and others will be available at
the Science Express website,
http://www.sciencemag.org/sciencexpress/recent.shtml, on April 21, 2005.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute (NHLBI), and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) supported this work. The NIA, NHLBI and NIDDK are
components of the NIH at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
At least 40 million Americans have chronic sleep problems, and an additional
20 million experience occasional sleeping problems. As many as 47 million
Americans have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions shown to increase
a person's risk of heart disease and stroke. The National Cholesterol
Education Program defines metabolic syndrome as having at least 3 of the
following risk factors: high blood pressure, high glucose (sugar) levels
which can indicate risk for diabetes, high triglyceride levels, low levels
of good cholesterol, and a large waist.
Scientists have found that circadian rhythms (which control the sleep/wake
cycle and other biological processes), hunger, and satiety are all regulated
by centers within a brain structure calle
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Contact: NHLBI Communications Office
nhlbi_news@nhlbi.nih.gov
301-496-4236
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
21-Apr-2005
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