What silently kills your liver — doctors revealed the secret

# Night Shifts and Chaotic Eating Disrupt the Liver's Internal Clock **Australian scientists have discovered that shift work and irregular eating patterns can seriously disrupt liver function by throwing off its own biological clock. The research findings have been published in the journal Nature Metabolism.** Specialists from the University of Queensland established that the human body operates not on one, but several circadian mechanisms simultaneously, controlling vital processes. The liver—one of the body's main metabolic centers—possesses its own internal rhythm and releases proteins into the bloodstream not continuously, but in waves throughout the day. "The liver is one of the most important organs in the body. It produces and exports most of the major proteins circulating in our blood. These proteins are involved in regulating metabolism, inflammatory processes, and energy balance, yet their production is not constant throughout the day," said the study leader, Dr. Meltem Weger from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland. The researchers found that the secretion of liver proteins is closely tied to daily biorhythms and directly depends on meal timing. Once the usual routine is disrupted—by switching to night shifts or starting to eat chaotically—the finely tuned system malfunctions. "Our data refute the notion that the liver works at a constant rate. We have shown that disruptions to sleep and eating patterns can directly affect its function," Weger emphasized. During the experiments, scientists made another important discovery: regular eating allows the liver to maintain its normal working rhythm. However, in participants who received small portions of nutritional formula every hour, circadian fluctuations in protein secretion virtually disappeared. According to Dr. Benjamin Weger, a co-author of the work, the findings may shed light on the connection between biological rhythm disruptions and the development of chronic diseases. "We don't yet fully understand exactly how disruptions to the liver's 'clock' lead to disease, but it's clear that such disturbances are linked to the risk of obesity and metabolic disorders," he noted. The study authors are convinced that further investigation of the liver's circadian rhythms could change approaches to preventing chronic diseases and help establish optimal eating and work schedules for millions of people working in shifts.