The more sleep, the less fat - and vice versa
Sleep is a special state of man and animals, which is necessary to restore strength, energy, strengthen the immune system, and normalize metabolism. Good sleep contributes to health, and its lack provokes some diseases, including obesity. Scientists have long drawn attention to the link between being overweight and chronic sleep deprivation. People who sleep less than six hours a night are more likely to be obese and diabetic. This happens because sleep deprivation affects the content of the “appetite” hormones - ghrelin and leptin. Chronically sleep-deprived people eat more, only the body replenishes fat stores instead of replenishing energy reserves. It would seem that everything is clear. But scientists wondered if metabolic disturbances could affect sleep?
American researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Nevada at Reno decided to answer this question. The study was carried out on the microscopic worm Caenorhabditis elegans. This worm is very useful for studying sleep because its nervous system consists of only 302 neurons, two of which are responsible for sleep: they receive signals from the cells of the liver, eyes and other organs and trigger the transition to sleep. The scientists found that metabolism and sleep in C. elegans are linked through the KIN-29 protein, which regulates the activity of sleep genes in special sensory neurons. We also have a protein with a similar function - SIK.
The scientists hypothesized that KIN-29 triggers signal transmission from sensory neurons to liver cells, forcing them to break down stored fat. The signal about the replenishment of energy reserves goes to neurons that trigger the transition to sleep.
To test whether this is true, the scientists turned off the KIN-29 gene in C. elegans. Mutant worms were content with a short sleep. They were low in ATP (the body's energy currency) despite high fat stores. When the liver cells of these worms were genetically manipulated to break down fats, the worms were able to sleep again. The insomnia in the mutant worms was caused by an inability to use their fat reserves.
This study explained why obese people have trouble sleeping. It turned out that the whole thing is a violation of the signaling between body fat and brain cells that control sleep.
Image source: pixabay.com
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