1 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: Everyone, Welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays. Today we 2 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: want to talk about pretty cool study that I just 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: read that brings to light, quite literally, a powerful non 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: pharmaceutical strategy for improving glucose control and metabolic health and 5 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: people with type two diabetes, and by extension, will help 6 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: to prevent getting type two diabetes in the first place. Now, 7 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 1: this research was published in the journal Cell Metabolism, which 8 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: is a really excellent journal. Explores how the kind of 9 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: light were exposed to during the day, so natural daylight 10 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: versus typical artificial office lighting can significantly impact metabolic function, 11 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: including blood sugar control, fat oxidation, and even gene expression 12 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: in skeletal muscle. Now, this was a well designed, very 13 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: well study with the randomized crossover trial, which means that 14 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: both sets of people experience both conditions at separate times. So, 15 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 1: as I said, it was performing people with type two diabetes. 16 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: But it does have in vague implications if you wish 17 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: to prevent type two diabetes. So let's break it down. Firstly, 18 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: let's explore the impact of the circadian clock and metabolic health. 19 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: Now you've probably heard of the circadian clock. I'm sure 20 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: you've definitely heard of circadian rhythms. They are essential to 21 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: our body's internal clocks, regulating everything from sleep wake cycles, 22 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: to hormone production, metabolism, and even cellular function and repair. 23 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: These rhythms, these circadian rhythms, they're governed by a central 24 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: clock in the brain's called they're super chismatic nucleus or SCN, 25 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: and that's located in the hypothalmus. But here's the thing. 26 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: This clock needs a time giver, what scientists call a 27 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: zp gaber, and the most powerful zeitgiber we know of 28 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: is light. Now, in nature, our circadian rhythms are sinked 29 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: by sunlight during the day and darkness at night. But 30 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: in modern societies, we spend a whopping eighty to ninety 31 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 1: percent of our time indoors and mostly under constant artificial 32 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: lighting that lacks the spectral richness and intensity of sunlight. Now, 33 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: that is a problem because inadequate daylight exposure, such as 34 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:45,639 Speaker 1: working in a typical office environment, combined with too much 35 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: artificial light at night, disrupts our circadian alignment and, as 36 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: emerging evidence shows, and contributes to the development and the 37 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: worstening of metabolic diseases like type two diabetes. So let's 38 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: explore this design. As I said earlier, it was a 39 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: randomized crossover trial, meaning that eight participants acted as their 40 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: own control. So thirteen individuals with type two diabetes. They 41 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,799 Speaker 1: spent four and a half hours under two conditions. One 42 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:19,399 Speaker 1: group exposed to natural daylight through large windows during officers, 43 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: and another were exposed to artificial office lighting a mixture 44 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: of fluorescent and LED lights, and they were matts for 45 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: brightness but not the spectral quality of natural light. Now, importantly, 46 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: everything else was really tightly controlled. Meals were standardized, sleep 47 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: schedules were fixed, and even light exposure outside of the 48 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: officers was tightly regulated. To eliminate these confounding factors, the 49 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: participants were monitored for their glucose levels using continuous glucose monitors, 50 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: and researchers performed what was called indirect calorimetry. They took 51 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: biome diopsies for muscle, and they ran what's called multi 52 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: omic analysis. So let's dive into the results. The ones 53 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: that are really worth focusing on. The first one was 54 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,840 Speaker 1: about glucose control, and the headline finding was this the 55 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 1: participants who were exposed to natural daylight spent more time 56 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: in the normal glucose rats compared to when they were 57 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 1: under artificial lighting, and even though average glucose levels didn't 58 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: differ significantly, the quality of glucose control improved. They had 59 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 1: less time in the highs and lows and more time 60 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: in the sweet spot. And we know that it's these 61 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 1: highs and lows that contribute to the development of tattoo 62 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: diabetes and the worsening of taypetoo diabetes if you already 63 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: have it. Now interesting they found that the twenty four 64 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: hour amplitude of the partitionan circadian glucose rhythm was lower 65 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: under natural light, meaning more stable glucose levels across the day. 66 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: The second finding was higher fat oxidation, and one of 67 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: the real standard effects of natural life was a shift 68 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: towards greater fat oxidation throughout the day. The participants burn 69 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:20,919 Speaker 1: more fat and less carbohydrate, especially around midday compared to 70 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 1: when they were on their artificial light, and during they 71 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: did something called a mixed male tolerance tests where they 72 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: give them a meal of fat and carbohydrates. Those in 73 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 1: the natural light group also had what's called a lower 74 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: respiratory exchange ratio, which again that's a way of measuring 75 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,600 Speaker 1: and whether you're burning fat or carbohydrates, and that pointed 76 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: to more efficient fat metabolism. Now this is hugely relevant 77 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: because we know that imperred fat oxidation and an over 78 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: reliance on glucose is a real hallmark of insulin resistance 79 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: and type two diabetes. So here is strong indication it 80 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: doesn't only worsen type two diabetes, but actually increases your 81 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: risk of it. The third finding was about melatonin and 82 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: circadian rhythms, So the natural daylight exposure also boosted their 83 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 1: evening melatonin levels, which suggests a more robust circadian rhythm. Now, melatonin, 84 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: you'll know that it's about sleep, but it's not just 85 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,840 Speaker 1: about sleep. It also plays a key role in metabolic 86 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: regulation and insulin sensitivity. And the enhancement in melatonin aligns 87 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: with the idea that natural light helps to reinforce the 88 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: body's internal clock, and that reinforcement of the body's internal 89 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: clocks likely, according to these scientists, layd to downstream metabolic benefits. 90 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 1: And then the fourth finding what's called multiomic changes and 91 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: muscle clock effects. So what this means is at the 92 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: cellular level, daylight exposure led to notable changes in the 93 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: gene expression of skeletal muscle. So they took muscle biopsies 94 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 1: and they revealed that the molecular clock in the muscle 95 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: cells was advanced in those exposed to daylight, meaning that 96 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: their internal timing was better synchronized with the natural environment. 97 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: And in addition, we study uncovered changes in serum metabolites, 98 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: in lipids, and blood monocyte transcripts. And basically all of 99 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: this together showed a systemic impact of light exposure throughout 100 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: the body that extended beyond glucose and fat metabolism. So 101 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 1: why does this all matter. Well, we often think of 102 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: diabetes as a disease of diet and exercise alone, but 103 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: this study reminds us that environmental factors like light exposure 104 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: play a powerful role in shaping our metabolic health. And 105 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: it's not just theory. This is this is actionable stuff. 106 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 1: So for me to take come here is if you 107 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 1: want to prevent or reduce your risk of developing typetoo diabetes, 108 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: or you are someone or know someone who's managing type 109 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: two diabetes, the implications are crystal clear. Here, get more daylight, 110 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: whether that's working near a window, taking walking breaks outside 111 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 1: during the day, or even using daylight mimicking lighting systems 112 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: which have full spectrum. This study suggests that could help 113 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: stabilize blood sugar and improve fat metabolism. And the beauty 114 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: of this intervention is its completely for you. There's no 115 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: side effects and no prescription needed. And this study adds 116 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,719 Speaker 1: to a growing body of research showing that aligning our 117 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: lifestyle with our biological clocks, whether that's eating in sync 118 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:51,199 Speaker 1: with the day night cycle, getting morning sunlight, or avoiding 119 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: bright lights at night, or all of the above, that 120 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: can actually have profound effects on your health and adds 121 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: a little bit more to the research showing that shift 122 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: work and particularly working at night is so bad for 123 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: your metabolic health. And this might be one of the 124 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 1: lowest hanging fruits to explore the management of tytoo bad 125 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: baties or the prevention of it. So if you can 126 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: work in a well lit workspace with natural light, then 127 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:18,840 Speaker 1: if you do have to work in an environment with 128 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: natural light, there's still some things that you can do. 129 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:24,320 Speaker 1: Make sure you get outside for a morning walk, and 130 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:29,200 Speaker 1: get outside during lunchtime and ideally in the evening as well. 131 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: And for me, the bottom line here is that we 132 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: know that all animals deteriorate when they are taken out 133 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 1: of their natural environment. And a really scary thing is 134 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: that a lot of us spend eighty to ninety percent 135 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: of our time indoors, and that's not our natural environment, 136 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: and it's bad juju for your health. So thanks for 137 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,959 Speaker 1: tuning in to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays. If you 138 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: find this episode insightful or helpful, please don't forget to 139 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,959 Speaker 1: share it with someone who might benefit. Catch you next time.