According to findings, dietary fat reduction may confer protection against the metabolic consequences of a lifestyle (such as shift work) that involves chronic circadian disruption.

• Chronic circadian disruption because of shift work has been noted in nearly 14% of Americans; this raises their risk of obesity, diabetes, and other cardiometabolic disorders.

• Modern eating habits such as frequent snacking and intake of high-fat foods also exacerbate these disorders.

• Researchers examined the impacts of recurrent circadian disruption (RCD) on glucose metabolism in C57BL/6 mice as well as in humans exposed to non-24-h light-dark (LD) schedules vs those on standard 24-h LD schedules.

• RCD plus high-fat diet resulted in significant weight gain in mice and significantly impaired glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in both mice and humans, however, this was not seen when RCD was combined with a lower-fat diet.

• This impact was noted to be similar in both young and older mice.