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Late-night eating and melatonin may impair insulin response, Dr. Rhonda Patrick

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New video on how late-night eating may suffer from an impaired insulin response and elevate blood glucose thanks to melatonin.

Melatonin isn't just a sleep hormone. In its role as a regulator of circadian rhythm, it regulates over 500 genes. One of the important functions emerging evidence suggests it plays is in the regulation of insulin production in the pancreas, where it binds to receptors and signals the temporary (overnight) suppression of insulin production.

This wasn’t a problem in our pre-industrial past, but in today’s environment of 24-hour food availability, it can have far-reaching effects on health. When food consumption regularly occurs outside normal daylight hours, the risk of hyperglycemia – higher than optimal blood glucose levels – increases.

Chronic exposure to elevated glucose increases our risk of developing diabetes and other metabolic disorders. But, over time, elevated blood sugar - even within just high normal ranges - has an association with brain volume losses in the hippocampus and the amygdala, areas involved in memory and cognition.

This brief episode explains how restoring our dietary and sleep pattern to one that more closely syncs with those imposed by nature can improve our health and potentially prolong our healthspan.