A study carried out by researchers from the ibs.GRANADA warns that the time change is a risk factor for health and well-being
An investigation carried out by the world's leading chronobiologists, in which the Principal Investigator of the Cellular Communication research group from the ibs.GRANADA, Dario Acuna Castroviejo, has warned that the time change in autumn and spring is an important risk factor for health and well-being, because it alters the circadian system that regulates and keeps the body's functions under control.
This work, published in the prestigious scientific journal European Journal of Internal Medicine, It is an international consensus on the impact of the time change on the human body and has been carried out to assess how the fall and spring time change negatively affects human health.
Not surprisingly, a few months ago Professor Acuña was invited as an expert to the Workshop "Discontinuing seasonal changes of time in the EU“, organized by the Committee on Transport and Tourism of the European Parliament in Brussels, where he presented the data that demonstrate the negative effects of the time change that are collected in this article.
As the UGR professor explains, "we must bear in mind that the state of health is based on the maintenance of rhythmic changes in all the functions of our body, from the sleep/wake rhythm to the rhythm of brain neurotransmitters (and therefore , of our cognitive functions); hormonal rhythms; metabolic rhythms; rhythms of cell division, and rhythms in the mechanisms of cell repair, both at the brain level and at the level of peripheral organs”.
An abrupt alteration
The time change implies a sudden alteration of these rhythms, since in 24 hours we modify the subjective time of sunrise and sunset. "The circadian system is controlled by the photoperiod or light/darkness rhythm, which in turn regulates the nocturnal production of melatonin, which is the true endogenous synchronizer of these rhythms," says Acuña.
This sudden change causes, in turn, a time change in the nocturnal production of melatonin, giving rise to a process called “internal desynchronization”, which prevents the biological clock from being unable to maintain “order” in the body”. This takes about 3-5 days to work properly again.
"That time is enough for mild, moderate, or severe discomfort to appear, from cognitive disorders (loss of attention, memory, etc.), sleep disturbances, cardiovascular problems, and even promote tumor processes," says the author of this investigation. The work has registered that, especially in women, the time change in spring leads to a 24% increase in severe cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarctions.
To avoid these negative consequences that the time change has on health, this international consensus has proposed that the seasonal time change be definitively eliminated, a measure that the European Commission is currently studying that will come into force in 2021.
Bibliographic reference:
Impact of Daylight Saving Time on circadian timing system: An expert statement.
Meira e Cruz M, Miyazawa M ManfrediniR, Cardinali D, Madrid JA, ReiterR, AraujoJF, Agostinho R, Acuña-Castroviejo D.
European Journal of Internal Medicine 2019/60/XNUMX; XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX:/doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.