Eating at odd hours raises risk of obesity, diabetes: Study

Eating at odd hours disrupts liver-brain signals, leading to obesity and metabolic disorders, a study reveals, highlighting potential therapeutic targets.

Eating at odd hours—a common pattern among shift workers and frequent travellers—can lead to obesity and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, according to a new study by scientists who have discovered a previously unknown communication channel between the liver and brain.

A person receives a free blood sugar test during a campaign to mark the World Diabetes Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 14, 2024. (REUTERS)

The research by a team from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and published in Science, reveals that the liver contains its own biological clock that sends precise signals to the brain through the vagus nerve,