A recent study found that the immune system is affected by the internal clock in the human body, which affects the process of storing fat and controlling body temperature.
Researchers believe that this discovery is of great importance for those who work according to variable working hours, for eating habits in general, and for changing sleep patterns resulting from the requirements of modern life that people live at the present time.
The study conducted by a research team in Ireland showed that one of the immune cell molecules found within the body’s adipose tissue, called “Interleukin-17A” (IL17-A), plays a regulatory role in the fat storage process, which paves the way for scientific research. New to treat various health problems such as obesity, prevent nutrient wastage, and mitigate the effects of metabolic disorders.
The researchers believe that it is possible, by targeting the mentioned immune cell molecules, to develop effective drugs to treat such health problems.
Researchers explained that the body’s circadian system, which is called the biological clock, ensures the implementation of major vital functions within the body at specific times throughout the day, and helps in creating a form of synchronization between vital functions and external environment variables such as the difference in day and night hours, for example. Perhaps the most important example of the function of this system is the sleep-wake cycle that coincides with the natural movement of the sun.
The immune system works according to the body’s circadian rhythm, stimulating the body to resist infection at certain times of the day. Recent studies have found an additional function for immunity, which is maintaining the integrity of tissues and their functions, especially in the digestive system, where specialized immune cells receive metabolic signals and increase the effectiveness of the immune system. Absorption process at feeding times.
Biological clock
Within the framework of the study published in the scientific journal “Nature”, researcher Lydia Lynch from the Faculty of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity University in Dublin says that the main immune cells known as “T” cells secrete “interleukin” molecules –
17A, which clearly responds to the genes responsible for the biological clock. These genes play a major role in the fat storage mechanism.
She added in statements reported by the website “Science Daily”, which specializes in scientific research, that experimental mice that lack these genes have a disorder in the system of processing and storing fats, and analysis of the metabolic process in these mice showed a disorder in the circadian system and an imbalance in the system for preserving body temperature.
Previous studies have shown an increase in the turnover rates of interleukin-17A molecules in the body in humans and mice after eating food, which means that fatty tissue responds to food behaviors, as it expands during times of feeding and contracts during fasting, for example.
During the experiment, the researchers were keen to measure the extent to which immune cells were affected by dietary behaviors in the event of changing the times of eating food to reflect the body’s biological clock by feeding a group of mice from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and feeding another group from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. over a period of 3 weeks. . This experiment confirmed the existence of a link between interleukin-17A molecules and the timing of feeding, and it was also shown that mice that ate food at times other than the usual times ate 50% fewer calories compared to mice that were fed at the usual times.
Lynch, who is also a professor of molecular biology at the Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Princeton University, explains, “Modern life often disrupts normal sleep patterns for reasons such as varying work shift times or prolonged exposure to blue light.” Which is emitted from computer screens or constant connections to mobile networks, and despite feeling exhausted, you find many people browsing social networking sites at night.
Fat storage
She added: “We have found that immune cell molecules within the body’s adipose tissue, which are responsible for controlling the fat storage process, play a particularly pivotal role, and may provide therapeutic means for obesity problems and metabolic disorders, especially among people who work different shifts in the workplace.” Unfixed dates. Lynch emphasized that “obesity is an increasingly widespread problem, has a harmful impact on health and body well-being, and constitutes a burden on health care systems in various parts of the world.”
For his part, Aaron Douglas, a biochemistry and immunology specialist at the Institute of Biomedical and Biomedical Research at Trinity University, believes that “this scientific discovery paves the way for more scientific research in various fields,” adding that “the main question lies in whether T-cell immune cells… “It can adjust the rhythm of the circadian system in other tissues in the body, and whether this similarity affects the rhythm of different tissues of the body.”
He pointed out, “What is striking is that T cells are located near the brain, and their activities may significantly affect higher functions such as learning and memory, and they may also affect areas in the brain related to the entire body’s metabolic system and controlling levels of metabolism.”
“His temperature.”