Body clock disturbances linked to heart disease

A new study has found that cardiovascular disease is connected to disturbances in the body's 24-hour clock, technically called circadian clock. A team on Japanese researchers conducted a study on mice to reach the conclusion.

To start with, scientists were already aware of genes that are essential elements for the circadian clock. Like, mice lacking a pair of molecules known as cryptochromes have an abnormal circadian rhythm.

But, the Kyoto University study made progress in observing that the mice were vulnerable to high blood pressure. It was because of abnormally high levels of a hormone called ldosterone that prompts water retention in the kidneys.

The researchers showed that the circadian clock directly controls a gene, similar to what is found in humans, that plays a key role in production of the hormone.

The experts insisted that the study supplemented the reason why shift workers, long-distance flight crews and people with sleep disorders have a heightened risk of heart problems.

Lead researcher Hitoshi Okamura believes the study can be useful in finding new ways to treat hypertension. Also, Professor Bryan Williams, an expert in hypertension at the University of Leicester, feels the study is "fascinating".

"We know that there is a strong correlation between time of day and cardiovascular events, which often coincide with the early morning surge in blood pressure,' the BBC quoted him as saying. He added: "So this does provide some insights into the mechanism that might underpin blood pressure deregulation in some people."

The study appears online in the journal Nature Medicine.