Constant Travel Increases The Risk Of Obesity

Being "on the move" and busy can help many individuals stay fit. Walking, biking and jogging are all easy ways to get to your destination while simultaneously getting in some much needed exercise. However, those who are constantly traveling--via airplanes or trains--are not going to be experiencing the same types of benefits.

Recent findings published in the journal Cell discuss how those who are constantly traveling are at an increased risk of obesity and other related health issues.

"These findings provide an explanation for a long-standing and mysterious observation, namely that people with chronically disturbed day-night cycles due to repetitive jet lag or shift work have a tendency to develop obesity and other metabolic complications," senior study author Eran Elinav of the Weizmann Institute of Science said in a news release. "These surprising findings may enable us to devise preventive treatments for these people to lower their risk for these complications."

For the study, researchers analyzed fecal samples collected from mice and humans at different times of the day while they found rhythmic fluctuations in the abundance of microbes and their biological activities.

Study findings revealed that mice exposed to changing light-dark schedules and abnormal feeding habits typically experienced a disruption in the composition and rhythmic fluctuations of their gut microbes, increasing the risk of certain metabolic issues.

"Our findings highlight a new therapeutic target that may be exploited in future studies to normalize the microbiota in those people whose lifestyle involves frequent alterations in sleep patterns, such as shift workers and very frequent fliers," Elinav concluded. "Targeting the harmful changes in the microbiota in these large human populations with probiotic or antimicrobial therapies may reduce or even prevent their risk of developing obesity and its complications."