Ever notice how after a few days of burgers, nachos and pizza you’re suddenly tired all the time? Or how much more difficult it is to resist those late-night munchies, particularly when there’s half of a cold pizza calling to you from the fridge?
It’s not your imagination. It’s the fat.
Scientists have known for a while that a screwy internal clock — known as circadian rhythm — can raise the risk of obesity and diabetes, but they’ve never been quite certain about the cause. Now it looks like they may have discovered what causes the circadian rhythms to go wacky: High-fat intake apparently disrupts the body’s cycles.
The study, conducted with two groups of mice, began with all of the mice eating the same healthy diet. After two weeks, one group remained on the healthy program while the other was given high-fat food. All of the mice remained in the dark so that day/night cycles would not provide them with external clues about when they should or shouldn’t be eating. After two weeks, the high-fat mice began to change. They slept longer, and they ate at times they would ordinarily be sleeping. The mice on the healthy diet remained unchanged, eating a normal amount and sleeping at appropriate times.
Certainly it’s something to think about when you’re low on energy, as I always seem to be. On the other hand, I’m not sure that I could really blame that burger I had last night (I know: shame on me!) for how exhausted I’ve felt this past week.
I think it has more to do with the fact that with Daylight Saving Time the sun’s starting to set at, what, noon now?
Chubby Mommy