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Internal and External States

July 12, 2005 01:45 PM

In the previous post, I discussed alternating between anabolic and catabolic states. I suggested this alternation was natural because humans were coupled to a rhthmic and complex metabolic landscape (peaks and valleys in energy intake and expenditure).

In ancient times energy was expended during daylight and rest occured during the night. Activity and rest were synchronized to the day/night pattern. When I claimed that a lot of our intelligence is "out there" in the world, I am referring to the way the brain and our biological clocks synchronize with external patterns so that internal and external rhythms are similar.

Today, any pattern is likely; food intake occurs throughout the day and night. Rest occurs at any time too. Activity has little or no diurnal pattern; many office workers are more likely to be active in the dark than in day light. The brain can no longer rely on the external world as a synchronizer of internal rhythms; it loses touch and there is a breakdown of coordination between the external and internal worlds.

And thus is the alternation of anabolic and catabolic states lost.

In Perspectives in Diabetes (Vol. 52, November 2003), Felix Kreier and co-authors take this line of argument further to advance the idea that the uncoupling of the external and internal worlds is a factor in the development of the Metabolic Syndrome (abdominal obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and poor management of blood fats).

One of the first consequences of this loss of rhythm is a flattening of insulin and growth hormone release patterns. There are smaller peaks and less frequent bursts and a more or less monotonous and continuous secretion of these hormones. The brain's impaired diurnal rhythms dampens the decline in blood pressure that would ordinarily occur during the night. Irregular eating and snacking lead to poor patterns of sleep. Spontaneous activity, sleep, and temperature rhythms are disturbed. Night eating promotes an abnormal response and overeaters eat more of their calories in the evening.

They recommend daily exercise to restore a rhythm to the alternation between anabolic and catabolic states. I would add that exercise should be during day light and so should nearly all your food intake.

So it seems there should be a Paleolithic-like daily rhythm in energy balance alternating between activity and feeding during the day with a net positive balance and sleep and repair in negative energy balance sustained by burning fat.

The dark is a time for the anabolic state of rest and repair. But you needn't eat to be in this state as your body will draw upon fat to sustain anabolism as you rest and sleep. The day is the time for activity and feeding.

· Evolutionary Fitness

Comments

Posted by: Flower Online [TypeKey Profile Page] at September 12, 2006 5:31 AM

Yours is likely the best compromise as you do attain some kind of rhythm. But, the long term statistics on night work are not all that good.

Alas, we do have to make a living in this modern world and even though it may compromise us in some ways, it is better to do work you like and are productive at, no matter what time of day or night.

I used to stay up late reading and writing. Until I found that early, just before dawn rising with a hard work out and a good breakfast set me up for a relaxed day of thinking, writing, and teaching.

Posted by: Arthur De Vany at July 12, 2005 5:12 PM

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