A FAULTY internal clock in the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin could be behind type 2 diabetes - a condition in which the body is unable to produce or use insulin properly.
The finding suggests that disruption of natural night and day cycles through artificial lighting may be a factor in the emergence of type 2 diabetes in adults. It also fits with studies showing that shift workers are unusually prone to the condition.
Insulin is produced by beta cells to control glucose levels in the blood. Joseph Bass of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and colleagues grew mouse beta cells in the lab to monitor insulin secretion. They found that beta cells lacking circadian "clock" genes produced 50 per cent less insulin, showing that these genes are essential for normal insulin production (Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature09253). Likewise, live mice with disrupted clock genes ...
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