Are you used to sleeping longer on the weekends than during the week and catching up on your late hours of sleep by sleeping in? We already knew that this “social jet lag” was not beneficial to health since it increases the risk of heart attack. A new study, which has just been published in the european journal of nutritionshows that this form of jet-lag is also associated with the proliferation of bad bacteria in the intestine.
An immediate impact on the intestinal microbiome
“Previous studies have found associations between social jet lag and insulin resistance, weight gain, and the onset of metabolic syndrome. But the circadian misalignment caused by these poor sleep habits also has a impact on inflammation and the composition of the gut microbiome,” said Dr Wendy Hall of King’s College London, lead author of the study.
For this study, British researchers followed a cohort of 934 people from the ZOE PREDICT study, one of the largest ongoing nutritional studies. They assessed blood, stool and gut microbiome samples and took blood sugar measurements in those with irregular sleep patterns compared to those with more routine schedules.
They found that social jet lag was associated with poorer diet quality, higher intakes of sugary drinks, and lower intakes of fruits and nuts, which may directly influence quality (good or bad) of the gut microbiome.
Source : Exploring the relationship between social jetlag with gut microbial composition, diet and cardiometabolic health, in the ZOE PREDICT 1 cohortEuropean journal of nutrition, August 2023