Chronobiology and Our Biological Clock A Review

Chronobiology is a field of science that examines periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms and their adaptation to solar and lunar related rhythms. These cycles are known as biological rhythms. "Chrono" pertains to time and "biology" pertains to the study, or science, of life. The related terms chronomics and chronome have been used in some cases to describe either the molecular mechanisms involved in chronobiological phenomena or the more quantitative aspects of chronobiology, particularly where comparison of cycles between organisms is required.Chronobiological studies include but are not limited to comparative anatomy, physiology, genetics, molecular biology and behavior of organisms within biological rhythms mechanics.Other aspects include development, reproduction, ecology and evolution.[...]

• Another Reason To Avoid High-fat Diet: It Can Disrupt Our Biological Clock, Say Researchers: Indulgence in a high-fat diet can not only lead to overweight because of excessive calorie intake, but also can affect the balance of circadian rhythms -- everyone's 24-hour biological clock, researchers have shown.[1]
• High-fat Diet Disrupts Body Clock: Overeating alters the core mechanism of the body clock, throwing off the timing of internal signals, including appetite control, critical for good health, according to new research. Animals on a high-fat diet gained weight and suddenly exhibited a disruption in their circadian clocks, eating extra calories during the time they should have been asleep or at rest.[2]
• Changing Our Clocks: New Research Explores How Our Bodies Keep Time: Our alarm clocks may spring forward on March 9, but our biological clocks may take longer to adjust. That's because our internal clocks are so tightly wound to many physiological and behavioral processes. Researchers have learned that circadian rhythms--the 24-hour cycles that keep our bodies on time--are involved in sleep, weight gain, mood disorders, and a variety of diseases. Now, they've made remarkable strides in identifying genes and neural pathways involved in regulating our internal clocks. Building on this bed of research could lead to new treatments for insomnia, jet lag, depression, obesity, and other disorders.[3]