Gut inflammation and other conditions that involve the immune system are more common among people with irregular sleep patterns, including those who work night shifts
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 20th September, 2019) Gut inflammation and other conditions that involve the immune system are more common among people with irregular sleep patterns, including those who work night shifts. Now, new research in mice has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that could help to explain the connection.The mechanism concerns group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s). These immune cells have a strong role in controlling metabolism,inflammation, and other biological processes.
In a recent Nature paper, the scientists explain how they used mice to better understand the role of ILC3s in the gut."These cells," says senior study author Henrique Veiga-Fernandes, Ph.D., "fulfill important functions in the gut they fight infection, control the integrity of the gut epithelium, and instruct lipid absorption."Veiga-Fernandes works at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, in Lisbon, Portugal. He leads a group that investigates communication at the cellular level between the nervous system and the immune system.
Sleep pattern, health, and clock genes"Sleep deprivation or altered sleep habits can have dramatic health consequences, resulting in a range of diseases that frequently have an immune component, such as bowel inflammatory conditions," Veiga-Fernandes explains.Research has shown that people who work shifts are more likely to develop certain long term health problems.
