Endocrine Abstracts

In contemporary society, modern lifestyles adversely impact our sleep and eating routines, particularly the timing of these activities. For example, the access to artificial light at night enables us to eat and stay awake at almost any time, leading to late sleep onset, short sleep duration, and circadian misalignment. In the general population, the most extreme example of circadian disruption is observed among shift workers. However, even non-shift workers who delay activities face mild circadian misalignment, known as social jet lag. This arises from accumulated sleep debt during the week, prompting extended sleep on weekends and resulting in inconsistent sleep patterns. Social jet lag is a potential risk factor for obesity and unhealthy eating habits, primarily due to insufficient sleep. In addition, our research group has shown that social jet lag is associated with breakfast skipping which could also be associated with circadian misalignment and obesity. Considering the aforementioned, we proposed the eating jet lag as a novel marker to study the irregularity in meal timing and its association with obesity. In this talk, we will explore the complex relationship between circadian misalignment and obesity, emphasizing how social and eating jet lag can lead to metabolic dysregulation and weight gain. Circadian misalignment induced from eating jet lag could have a negative impact on glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, increasing obesity risk. By examining these mechanisms, we will discuss the broader implications of eating jet lag in health. Although specific clinical recommendations remain inconclusive, we will discuss strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of sleep deprivation on metabolic health, including promoting regular sleep and meal timing.