Reasons of Weight Gain:  Generally, the biggest reason for weight gain is considered to be bad eating habits and lack of exercise. Maybe you yourself believe this or people around you also support this fact that proper diet and exercise are necessary to lose weight. However, you will be surprised to know that this is not completely true. Apart from diet and exercise, the internal clock of our body can also be responsible for weight gain or weight loss. Yes, a recent study has revealed that weight can also increase due to the imbalance between the internal clock of our brain and liver.

The body's internal clock and its coordination

Brain Clock: This clock is controlled by natural light and signals our bodies to function on a 24-hour cycle.

Liver clock- This clock is affected by our eating habits and gives signals to the body to digest food and provide energy.

When the coordination between these two clocks gets disturbed, like in people working in night shifts, then many problems can arise in the body. One of these problems is obesity.

How does coordination get disturbed and obesity occurs?

When the brain clock and the liver clock are out of sync, the body receives incorrect signals about eating food and expending energy, leading to:

• Feeling hungry at odd hours: The mind thinks it is still daytime and the body needs energy, even when in reality, the body needs rest.
• Overeating: Due to untimely hunger, people eat more, which leads to accumulation of calories in the body and increases weight.
• Disturbance in metabolism- Metabolism i.e. the process of using energy in the body is also affected.
• Other health problems – Obesity also increases the risk of other health problems like diabetes.

What did the research find?

A study conducted on mice found that when the coordination between the brain and liver clocks got disrupted, the mice started eating less and started losing weight. This suggests that this connection between the brain and the liver may play an important role in preventing obesity.

What are the findings of this research?

• Obesity is not just a game of diet and workouts – the body’s internal clock also plays a major role in it.
• People who work night shifts are at greater risk - because their sleep and eating times are different from the natural cycle.
• Understanding the connection between the brain and the liver is important—it's vital to finding new ways to treat obesity.

What can you do?

• Get regular sleep- Have 7-8 hours of sleep daily.
• Stay in natural light – Try to stay in natural light during the day.
• Exercise regularly- Exercising daily helps maintain a good metabolism.
• Take a healthy diet- Eat healthy food on time.
• Reduce stress- Stress can also be a cause of obesity.