A study compared the impact on the health of the change of time and the permanent summer or winter times and found that the disturbance of the cycardian rhythm caused by the changes contributes to obesity and the risk of stroke.
Eliminate semiannual change to summer time and adopt the permanent standard time It can bring significant benefits to public health, according to a new investigation.
One published in PNAS suggests that remaining standard time throughout the year can prevent more than 2.6 million obesity cases and more than 300 000 strokes annually in the United States.
The findings result from a model created by Stanford University researchers, Jamie Zeitzer and Lara Weed, who analyzed how interruptions in circadian rhythms affect long -term health. By simulating exposure to light and daily routines of more than 300 million Americans under three different policies – permanent standard time, permanent summer time and semiannual change – the team calculated the so -called “Circadian load”Associated with each of them.
The results showed that the change of watches twice a year produces the greatest disturbance, while the Permanent standard time creates the lowest pressure on the internal rhythm of the body. Permanent daylight saving time, although better than changing it, still had more health risks than daylight saving time. Specifically, the permanent summer time was associated with 1.7 million cases of obesity and about 220,000 strokes less compared to the biannual changes, the.
“Our circadian rhythm regulates all cells in the body, and interrupts it repeatedly has measurable consequences for health”Said Zeitzer, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford.
The study highlights the links between circadian misalignment, reduced sleep quality and metabolic stressful that contribute to obesity and the risk of stroke.
Still, researchers warn that the study has limitations. The model presupposes Sleep and work uniform hoursignores seasonal behavioral changes and is based on self-reormed health data. In addition, it did not take into account racial and ethnic sleeping disparities, which, according to experts, could increase the health risks of black and Hispanic communities, already disproportionately affected by sleep -related problems.
“This study does not end the debate,” said Zeitzer. “But it provides solid data on why the permanent standard time should be part of the debate on public policies.”
