La importancia del reloj biológico en el desarrollo de la obesidad y de la diabetes

The circadian clock controls the sleep-awake cycles, as well as a series of metabolic processes that include the ingestion, storage and use of energy. The increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has become one of the major public health problems at international level. Due to the heavy social burden caused by diabetes, it essential to understand the causes of this disease and develop more effective strategies for its treatment. The correlation between type 2 diabetes and the lifestyle of modern society, characterised by the changes in sleep patterns, shift work, as well as due to the exposure to artificial light during night time hours, has led to the hypothesis that changes in the circadian clock may be involved in the aetiology of type 2 diabetes. In this sense, recent studies have proposed that the correction of clock changes could have a beneficial effect on glucose homeostasis and, from this that chronotherapy, without pharmaceutical intervention, presents as an option for treating patients with type 2 diabetes.