Summary
Professor Russell Foster joins ZOE Science & Nutrition to discuss the hidden clock controlling your health | professor russell foster. Key topics include nutritional strategies based on current research; how to support gut microbiome diversity and digestive health; metabolic health markers and strategies for improvement.
Key Points
- Nutritional strategies based on current research
- How to support gut microbiome diversity and digestive health
- Metabolic health markers and strategies for improvement
Key Moments
Eating earlier in the day aligns with circadian metabolism
Professor Russell Foster explains that our ability to clear glucose is much more efficient in the first half of the day, and loading calories at breakfast and lunch rather than dinner aligns with circadian biology. The large evening meal is a recent historical development.
"So, in fact, you're getting rid of glucose very effectively during the first half of the day, but less effectively during the second half of the day. And of course, by having higher levels of glucose, you can generate glucose intolerance, and you're on the way to type 2 diabetes."
Circadian disruption and sleep loss impair health and cognition
Discussion of how disrupting circadian rhythms through poor sleep habits leads to mood changes, impaired cognition, risk-taking, metabolic abnormalities like type 2 diabetes, higher cancer rates, and depression.
"Metabolic abnormalities such as diabetes 2 and obesity. And finally, a big one, depression and psychosis are made much worse by sleep and circadian rhythm disruption."
