University of Illinois Cancer Center member Kristen Malecki, MPH, PhD, is the corresponding author of a study published the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) that builds on growing research focused on circadian-rhythm disruption as a risk factor for metabolic health. Metabolic pathologies underlie leading causes of death and disability, including cancer.
Malecki, part of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program at the Cancer Center, is Professor and Division Director of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the UIC School of Public Health.
The abstract from the paper, “Circadian Disruption, Clock Genes and Metabolic Health,” is excerpted below.
“A growing body of research has identified circadian-rhythm disruption as a risk factor for metabolic health. However, the underlying biological basis remains complex, and complete molecular mechanisms are unknown. There is emerging evidence from animal and human research to suggest that the expression of core circadian genes, such as circadian locomotor output cycles kaput gene (CLOCK), brain and muscle ARNT-Like 1 gene (BMAL1), period (PER), and cyptochrome (CRY), and the consequent expression of hundreds of circadian output genes are integral to the regulation of cellular metabolism. These circadian mechanisms represent potential pathophysiological pathways linking circadian disruption to adverse metabolic health outcomes, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Here, we aim to summarize select evidence from in vivo animal models and compare these results with epidemiologic research findings to advance understanding of existing foundational evidence and potential mechanistic links between circadian disruption and altered clock gene expression contributions to metabolic health–related pathologies. Findings have important implications for the treatment, prevention, and control of metabolic pathologies underlying leading causes of death and disability, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.”
Other study authors are from the University of Wisconsin and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center.