This Medical News feature discusses the role of circadian clock in regulating metabolism. Over the past 20 years, scientists have assembled a clearer picture of the circadian clocks that keep human physiology tuned to the 24-hour light-dark cycle. Now, the basic science is giving way to human studies that reveal how a person’s sleeping habits, eating patterns, and diet may desynchronize the body’s clocks and contribute to metabolic problems like obesity or diabetes.

The findings have led scientists on a hunt for ways to reset the clock and restore healthy metabolism. So far, 2 behavioral interventions, improved sleep and time-restricted eating, show promise in animal and preliminary human studies.

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