Comprehensive analysis of female reproductive dysfunction induced by clock genes due to asynchronous feeding rhythm

Abstract

Dieting can be harmful, particularly for adolescents who are still developing. For example, diet and reproductive health are closely linked and dieting in adolescence can have long-term effects on reproductive health. Indeed, the incidence of gynaecological disease is rising, in parallel with food skipping and dieting in young women. Dr Tomoko Fujiwara, Department of Human Life Environments, Kyoto Notre Dame University, Japan is exploring the little known links between menstrual pain and eating habits, with a focus on female students. She and her team are interested in the concept of hunger stress and the implications of negative hunger stress and are using animal models to explore this concept and interrelated ideas in more detail. In a world first, the researchers reported that breakfast skipping is associated with menstrual pain and menstrual pain worsens after dieting and, building on this result, they conducted research to establish further links between dietary habits and menstrual disorders and explore whether breakfast skipping can be an effective predictor for the management and prevention of menstrual disorders. In another project, Fujiwara and the team unearthed findings that support the existence of a new hypothesis called Adolescent Dietary Habit-induced Obstetric and Gynecologic Disease (ADHOGD) and plan to elucidate further detailed mechanisms that will lead to preventative methods. In another study, the researchers explored the effects of meal timing during the circadian cycle on ovarian function and confirmed that the timing of food intake during the circadian cycle is a key factor influencing reproductive function.