Most people are familiar with the concept that the body’s sleep and wake routines are controlled by the body’s internal regulatory system known as the circadian rhythm; however, scientists have also found a connection between the body’s circadian rhythms and the body’s organs and genes.
More specifically, scientists have discovered the presence of a specific gene that codes for the liver to function accordingly to the body’s circadian cycle; new, scientific findings, such as this, will aid the medical and science fields in developing cures to harmful conditions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar, which often leads to diabetes. More importantly, the cures to these conditions would not involve lifestyles changes, but the simple activation or deactivation of a gene or the modification of one’s circadian rhythm.
At a closer look, scientists have determined that the liver’s genes are switched on and off throughout the course of the day, at various times, in order to properly metabolize fat and cholesterol. Scientists were already well aware that chromatin, which compacts DNA in the nucleus of the cells, is the protein that controls specific genes, such as the genes present in the liver, the spleen, and the pancreas; however, now scientists suspect that production, regulation, and even use of chromatin is greatly affected by circadian cycles.
The circadian cycle determines when genes should be made in sync with a set a molecules known as the epigenome, which regulate how many proteins the genes should produce. Even when people consume things, putting their digestive systems, their liver, their pancreas, their gallbladder, and their excretory systems to use, specific genes are being switched on and off, and without the influence of the body’s circadian cycle the genes might otherwise not be able to do so.
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