Medical expert of the article
New publications
"Larks" are less at risk of obesity than "owls"
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Ahead of the New Year holidays, a team of scientists from the University of California warns that overeating can harm your health by disrupting the so-called "eating clock."
But overindulgence in food doesn't just happen on holidays. Working the night shift or taking a long flight can also cause overeating.
Read also: How to avoid New Year's overeating: practical advice
The work of the "food clock" is controlled by a set of molecules and genes that interact with each other and act as a biochemical oscillator. This process maintains the body's metabolic processes at a normal level.
American scientists conducted a study that showed how this clock works at the molecular level.
Experts have found that if a person changes their eating habits, a protein called PKCγ takes an active part in the functioning of the “food clock”.
The researchers conducted an experiment on mice.
Regular feeding leads to the fact that rodents begin to fuss in anticipation of their next meal, that is, to behave actively in anticipation of food. When animals were given a portion of food at a time when they usually sleep, the "food clock" gradually also adjusted to this regime - the animals woke up in anticipation of being fed. But if the PKCγ gene was missing, the mice did not respond to food and did not wake up to eat.
Read also: The brain is to blame for overeating
According to scientists, this study is very important for understanding the molecular basis of obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic syndromes. This is explained by the fact that a disordered "food clock" may be one of the components of the pathology that underlies these disorders. In addition, the results may explain why "larks" are less likely to gain excess weight than "owls".
Understanding the molecular mechanism of the "food clock" and its desynchronization may be useful in developing effective treatments for disorders associated with shift work, night eating syndrome, and jet lag.
The biological clock is no less complex than the regular clock. The interacting genes that make it up turn on and off throughout the day so that a person can understand and feel time.
The circadian oscillator regulates the biological clock in most organisms. It monitors the functioning and speed of human biological rhythms in accordance with the 24-hour cycle of day and night.
But besides this, there are additional "clocks" that, in addition to the "main" ones, also work throughout the day. One of these additional "clocks" is the "food" one. They influence various processes occurring in the human body and are not tied to any specific area of the brain.
To date, very little is known about the work of the "food clock" and the fact that scientists were able to discover the molecular basis of this process will make it possible to learn more, but this requires additional research in this area.