will take place on Tuesday, 26 June 2018 from 17:15 to 18:15 hours in CBBM, Ground Floor, B1/B2.
Host: Prof. Dr. Henrik Oster
Institute of Neurobiology
University of Lübeck
Abstract
Obesity and diabetes have obtained epidemic proportions and contribute significantly to cardiovascular disease and mortality. Most research and clinical attention has focused on the importance of what we eat and how much we exercise in these developments. However, in recent years it has become clear that also other modern life style changes such as the timing of food intake, of physical activity and of sleep importantly impact metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors. This presentation will focus on the role of the endogenous circadian system, and its interaction with a disturbed timing of the behavioral/environmental sleep/wake, rest/active, fasting/feeding, and dark/light cycles on cardiometabolic function. For example, the circadian system and circadian misalignment (i.e., the misalignment between the circadian system and the behavioral/environmental cycle) influence glucose metabolism, energy expenditure, food intake, weight regulation, inflammation, and cardiovascular function in humans. These new observations provide possible mechanistic evidence for the adverse cardiometabolic effects observed with shift work, late night snacking, and circadian-related gene variants. The objectives of my talk will be to (a) discuss the effects of the human circadian system and circadian misalignment on glucose control, metabolism, inflammation, and cardiovascular function; (b) present data on the effect of melatonin and its interaction with type 2 diabetes risk variant MTNR1B on glucose control; and (c) discuss the evidence for the importance of not just what you eat, but also of when you eat for health and disease.
Biosketch
Frank A.J.L. Scheer, PhD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Boston. Dr. Scheer’s lab studies the influence of the endogenous circadian system and its disruption—such as with shift work—on cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic regulation and disease states, such as hypertension, asthma, obesity and diabetes. This work focuses both on the physiological mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of medical chronobiology. Since 2005, Dr. Scheer has been funded continuously as Principal Investigator by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Scheer has received numerous scientific awards, including the Young Investigator Award by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the First Place Clinical Research Young Investigator Award from the National Sleep Foundation/Sleep Research Society (combined), and the Neal Miller Award by the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. He is an Editorial Board Member of several peer-reviewed journals, including the Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms, the World Journal of Diabetes, and the American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Scheer is a Board Member of the European Society of Biological Rhythms and Member of the Program Committee of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
