Food — The new Cure for jet lag?
Reported May 23, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — By overriding the bodys biological clock with food, travelers may be able to avoid jet lag, a new study reveals.
Humans have a biological clock called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a group of cells in the brains hypothalamus that sends information about the light-dark cycle to the dorsomedial nucleus (DMH), another group of cells in the same region of the brain. The DMH tells the body when to sleep and when to stay awake. Now, a study reveals a second, food-related biological clock in the DMH
According to Clifford Saper, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Neurology at BIDMC, travelers may be able to adapt more quickly to new time zones by putting this secondary, food-based biological clock into action, rather than just relying on their primary, light-based clock.
Researchers found that one instance of fasting followed by feeding turns on the clock in the DMH, overriding the primary biological clock and sending the body into a cycle driven by food availability. A period of fasting with no food at all for about 16 hours is enough to engage this new clock, Dr. Saper was quoted as saying. So, in this case, simply avoiding any food on the plane, and then eating as soon as you land, should help you adjust — and avoid some of the uncomfortable feelings of jet lag.
SOURCE: Science, published online May 23, 2008