Huge respect for Dr. Rhonda Patrick. Try to listen carefully when she talks! The problem is this ‘fountain of knowledge’ talks so fast!
One thing certain! Late night foods, and ‘drinking’; that ‘nightcap’ is an utter disaster for our health. How? It is the insulin spiking and consequential long term damage that ‘gets’ our human race in the long run.
Interesting that an identical meal taken in the morning has less insulin spike than in the evening! Rhonda indicates:
the postprandial glucose increase is lowest in the morning after breakfast and highest after the evening meal even though the meals were 100% identical.
Nutshell it’s really because our circadian rhythms are almost perpetually ‘out of whack’.
Electricity changes life for our so-called advanced society, and now with screens, it epitomizes devastation to our evolutionary DNA.
Much of the obesity crisis is just on point! We never are supposed to be eating at 11:00 PM in that so trendy restaurant! Certainly, our DNA does not expect us to travel timezones to gourmet vacation spots and for example, taste those fantastic local wines late into the night!
The what and amount and type of foods are all important. But circadian considerations are embedded in our DNA!
It troubles me immensely that Dr. Patrick points out that late night meals may also have a direct negative effect on our brain:
Studies have shown an association of higher than normal fasting blood glucose associated with losses in the hippocampus and the amygdala, areas involved in memory and cognition.
Roughly 10 to 40 percent of gene expression is under circadian control, including genes in the brain, liver, and muscle.
As such, circadian rhythmicity may have profound implications for human healthspan but melatonin (which is the victim of disruption here) according to Rhonda doesn’t regulate sleep alone.
It sends messages to other parts of the body in preparation for sleep, including the pancreas, where it binds to receptors and signals the temporary cessation of insulin production overnight.
Yes, we are the only species that disobeys our Circadian Clocks! That is the ‘Why?’ for a Treacherous Late Night Drink Triggers Insulin Spike.
But ultimately it’s my firm opinion that what is good for our cellular health rules all! If we get that right, including the rejuvenation and stimulation of both our Stem Cells and Mitochondria, we win the passport to an exciting and extended agelessness!
