This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kräuchi, K. Articles by Wirz-Justice, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kräuchi, K. Articles by Wirz-Justice, A. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Medline Plus Health Information Carbohydrates Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Alteration of Internal Circadian Phase Relationships after Morning versus Evening Carbohydrate-Rich Meals in Humans

Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric University Clinic, Wilhelm Klein Strasse 27, CH-4025 Basel, Switzerland kurt.kraeuchi{at}pukbasel.ch

Christian Cajochen

Esther Werth

Anna Wirz-Justice

Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric University Clinic, Wilhelm Klein Strasse 27, CH-4025 Basel, Switzerland

The effects of a single morning and evening carbohydrate-rich meal for 3 consecutive days on circadian phase of core body temperature (CBT), heart rate, and salivary melatonin rhythms were compared under controlled constant routine conditions. In 10 healthy young men entrained to a natural light-dark cycle with regular sleep timing, CBT and heart rate were significantly elevated for approximately 8 h after the last evening carbohydrate-rich meal (EM), and nocturnal melatonin secretion (as measured by salivary melatonin and urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin levels) was reduced, compared to the morning carbohydraterich meal (MM) condition. Thus, circadian phase could not be measured until the following day due to this acute masking effect. The day after the last meal intervention, MM showed a significant advanced circadian phase position in CBT (+59 ± 12 min) and heart rate (+43 ± 18 min) compared to EM. However, dim-light melatonin onset was not significantly changed (+15 ± 13 min). The results are discussed with respect to central (light-entrainable) and peripheral (foodentrainable) oscillators. Food may be a zeitgeber in humans for the food-entrainable peripheral oscillators, but melatonin data do not support such a conclusion for the light-entrainable oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Key Words: carbohydrate-rich food • nonphotic zeitgeber • constant routine • circadian phase shifts • core body temperature • heart rate • melatonin • light-entrainable oscillator • food-entrainable oscillator • peripheral oscillators

Journal of Biological Rhythms, Vol. 17, No. 4, 364-376 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/074873040201700409


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. K. Mirick and S. Davis Melatonin as a Biomarker of Circadian Dysregulation Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., December 1, 2008; 17(12): 3306 - 3313. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Goel An arousing, musically enhanced bird song stimulus mediates circadian rhythm phase advances in dim light Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, September 1, 2006; 291(3): R822 - R827. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. E. Mistlberger, I. C. Webb, M. M. Simon, D. Tse, and C. Su Effects of Food Deprivation on Locomotor Activity, Plasma Glucose, and Circadian Clock Resetting in Syrian Hamsters J Biol Rhythms, February 1, 2006; 21(1): 33 - 44. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. E. Mistlberger and D. J. Skene Nonphotic Entrainment in Humans? J Biol Rhythms, August 1, 2005; 20(4): 339 - 352. [Abstract] [PDF]

				N. Goel Late-night presentation of an auditory stimulus phase delays human circadian rhythms Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, July 1, 2005; 289(1): R209 - R216. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. F. B. P. Costa Rosa Exercise as a Time-conditioning Effector in Chronic Disease: a Complementary Treatment Strategy Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., June 1, 2004; 1(1): 63 - 70. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. V. Danilenko, C. Cajochen, and A. Wirz-Justice Is Sleep per se a Zeitgeber in Humans? J Biol Rhythms, April 1, 2003; 18(2): 170 - 178. [Abstract] [PDF]