image: Night restricted feeding (NRF), akin to 16:8 intermittent fasting in humans, increases muscle endurance and cognitive performance in obesogenic diet-fed mice. Day restricted feeding (DRF), akin to Ramadan fasting in humans, increases muscular endurance in lean mice throughout the day/night cycle. Mechanistically, the muscle clock regulates the diurnal activities of PPAR and Perilipin-5, which are required for muscle metabolism and contraction. TRF, time-restricted feeding; SCN, suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Credit: ©Science China Press
This study is led by Dr. Min-Dian Li (Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Center for Circadian Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease, Southwest Hospital, China).
Fatigue is increasingly prevalent in industrialized societies, highlighting an urgent need for effective clinical and lifestyle interventions. It manifests as reduced muscle endurance, strength and a persistent sensation of exhaustion, often associated with disruptions in circadian rhythm. Despite its widespread impact, the molecular mechanisms underlying fatigue remain poorly understood. Recent studies have uncovered molecular underpinnings that determine the diurnal variation of muscular endurance and have identified circadian nutritional interventions that mitigate muscle and cognitive dysfunctions in rodents. Notably, time-restricted feeding has shown significant efficacy in reducing fatigue by its effects on both the brain and muscle tissues. Circadian nutrition thus holds promise as a lifestyle intervention to combat fatigue.
Circadian regulation of muscle fatigue and fatigue-associated cognitive dysfunctions is crucial. Time-restricted feeding (TRF) involves limiting daily food intake to a specific window, creating an intermittent feed-fast cycle. Emerging evidence indicates that night/active phase- restricted feeding (NRF), akin to 16:8 intermittent fasting in humans, aligns the feed- fast cycle with the circadian clock, preventing diet-induced metabolic diseases in mice. NRF increases muscle endurance in obesogenic diet-fed mice across their life-span in both sexes. Mechanistically, NRF is associated with increased metabolic flexibility. Day/sleep phase-restricted feeding (DRF), akin to Ramadan fasting in humans, increases muscular endurance in lean mice throughout the day/night cycle. A recent study demonstrates that TRF restores myofiber strength in aged mice through coordinated actions of the brain and muscle clocks.
To date, clinical trials on metabolic diseases have robustly identified circadian nutrition as a safe and easily adoptable lifestyle intervention. It is promising that a detailed understanding of the circadian biology of fatigue at the molecular level could address the social and economic challenges posed by fatigue.
Journal
Science Bulletin