#62 - Interaction of exercise with muscle circadian clocks with Dr Karyn Esser
Sep 4, 2023
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Professor Karyn Esser, an authority on circadian biology, discusses the interaction of exercise with muscle circadian clocks. They explore the effects of jet lag and shift work, the best time to exercise and eat, and how muscle clocks prepare the muscle. The podcast also touches on the timing of eating, the relationship between exercise performance and time of day, and the disruption of circadian rhythms in diabetes.
Muscle clocks in our body play a role in exercise and metabolism, preparing the muscle for activity before waking up and for storage before rest.
Eating minimal food or not eating during night shifts may improve health outcomes by affecting peripheral clocks and metabolism.
Individual factors such as age, chronotype, and training volume should be considered when determining the optimal time for exercise.
Deep dives
Effect of Circadian Rhythms on Exercise and Muscle Clocks
The circadian rhythms in our body, including muscle clocks, play a crucial role in exercise and metabolism. The muscle clock regulates daily patterns of gene expression, preparing the muscle for activity before waking up and for storage before rest. Muscle clocks can be affected by time of day exercises, with studies showing better performance in the afternoon. Interestingly, muscle clocks can also be shifted through exercise training, with morning exercisers exhibiting a greater improvement in performance over time. Additionally, the muscle clock can be influenced by time of feeding, with different cues from feeding affecting the muscle clocks. Time of feeding and exercise can modulate the clocks in muscle and other peripheral tissues. It is important to consider individual chronotypes, such as being a morning or evening person, and align exercise and feeding schedules accordingly to optimize performance and metabolic processes.
Impact of Shift Work and Diet on Circadian Rhythms
Shift work can disrupt circadian rhythms and lead to health risks, such as increased risk of diabetes and cancer. The timing of sleep and meal consumption can play a role in these outcomes. Research suggests that not eating or consuming minimal food during night shifts may improve outcomes due to the effect on peripheral clocks. Eating during the night can signal the clocks in peripheral tissues to shift, affecting metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Therefore, modifying meal timing during shift work may offer potential benefits for circadian regulation and overall health.
Response to Training and Individual Variations
The response to training and the effectiveness of exercise at different times of the day can vary among individuals. Factors such as age, chronotype, and training volume need to be considered. Strength training tends to show consistent advantages in the afternoon, even though individual responses can differ. While it is important to consider timing and routine for optimal results, individual experimentation and observation may be necessary to determine the preferred exercise time that yields the best personal outcomes.
Interplay Between Exercise and Muscle Clocks
Exercise and muscle clocks have a reciprocal relationship, influencing each other's functioning. Exercise can shift muscle clocks, and muscle clocks affect exercise performance and metabolic processes. The clocks in our muscles are sensitive to time cues, whether through time of day exercises or time of feeding. These cues can modulate the temporal distribution of muscle gene expression, optimizing the muscle's readiness for activity or rest. Understanding the interplay between exercise and muscle clocks can enhance exercise effectiveness and metabolic regulation.
Impacts of Shift Work on Circadian Rhythms
Shift work disrupts the body's natural rhythms and can have negative effects on health. Those who work night shifts and eat during the night may experience issues such as insulin sensitivity and internal clock misalignment. It is suggested that having a consistent shift schedule rather than rotating shifts can be easier to adjust to and potentially mitigate some of these problems.
Considerations for Exercise and Circadian Rhythms
When it comes to exercise and circadian rhythms, it is advised to align exercise with the body's natural cycles. For physical laborers, exercising during the work shift can naturally adjust the muscle clocks. For those with desk jobs, exercising during the regular day period can help maintain alignment. It is also recommended to time exercise and feeding within the same window of time for shift workers. Additionally, having a regular routine and avoiding irregular shifts can be more beneficial for overall health.
Dr Glenn McConell chats with Professor Karyn Esser from the University of Florida, USA. She is an authority on circadian biology. We discuss whether exercise affects muscle circadian clocks and whether muscle clocks affect exercise. What is the best time to exercise and to eat etc. Also the effects of jet lag and shift work and how to best manage these. A very interesting chat. Karyn’s Twitter: @kaesser. 0:00. Introduction 2:30. How Karyn got into exercise research. 4:40. She was “picked up” by Arnold Schwarzenegger 5:32. Her muscle hypertrophy work 7:00. What are circadian rhythms? 9:40. Jet lag 11:10. How central clocks and peripheral clocks interact 14:16. Social jet lag 15:45. Timing of running rodents because nocturnal 16:47. Best to wear sunglasses when jet lagged? 17:54. Melatonin 19:40. Muscle clocks prepare the muscle 26:54. Sleep onset and dark onset are not necessarily correlated 30:23. Time of day and exercise performance 34:10. Running in the morning can shift muscle clocks forward 37:00. Train at the time of the race 39:25. Contracting muscle cells and circadian rhythms 41:00. Timing of eating and muscle circadian rhythms 43:00. How long does it take to shift clocks/jet jag 45:10. Exercise: morning people vs evening people 47:58. Stronger in the afternoon 50:30. Shift work and eating during the night 54:30. Best to do rotating or constant routine shift work? 55:57. Best time to exercise if shift worker? 57:55. Clocks are disrupted in diabetes 1:00:00. Researchers need to consider circadian rhythms 1:03:42. Is there circadian rhythm cross talk between organs? 1:06:03. Inflammation, muscle and circadian rhythms 1:08:12. The heart and circadian rhythms 1:11:30. Bone-muscle cross talk and circadian rhythms 1:13:28. Sex differences and circadian rhythms 1:15:00. Applicability of mouse studies to humans 1:16:42. Controversies in the field 1:17:52. Takeaway messages 1:20:12. Outro (9 seconds) Inside Exercise brings to you the who's who of research in exercise metabolism, exercise physiology and exercise’s effects on health. With scientific rigor, these researchers discuss popular exercise topics while providing practical strategies for all. The interviewer, Emeritus Professor Glenn McConell, has an international research profile following 30 years of Exercise Metabolism research experience while at The University of Melbourne, Ball State University, Monash University, the University of Copenhagen and Victoria University. He has published over 120 peer reviewed journal articles and recently edited an Exercise Metabolism eBook written by world experts on 17 different topics (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-94305-9). Connect with Inside Exercise and Glenn McConell at: Twitter: @Inside_exercise and @GlennMcConell1 Instagram: insideexercise Facebook: Glenn McConell LinkedIn: Glenn McConell https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-mcconell-83475460 ResearchGate: Glenn McConell Email: glenn.mcconell@gmail.com Subscribe to Inside exercise: Spotify: shorturl.at/tyGHL Apple Podcasts: shorturl.at/oFQRU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@insideexercise Anchor: https://anchor.fm/insideexercise Google Podcasts: shorturl.at/bfhHI Anchor: https://anchor.fm/insideexercise Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4025218 Not medical advice
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