Disruption in daily eating-fasting and activity-rest cycles in Indian adolescents attending school

Abstract

A lifestyle with erratic eating patterns and habits predisposes youngsters to obesity. Through a two-phase feasibility study among Indian students living in the Delhi area, we longitudinally examined the following: (1) the daily eating-fasting cycles of students (N = 34) in school and college using smartphones as they transition from high school (aged 13-15 years; n IX = 13) to higher secondary school (HSSS; 16-18 years; n XII = 9) to their first year (FY) of college (18-19 years; n FC = 12); and (2) daily activity-rest cycles and light-dark exposure of 31 higher secondary school students (HSSS) using actigraphy. In phase 1, students' food data were analyzed for temporal details of eating events and observable differences in diet composition, such as an energy-dense diet (fast food (FF)), as confounding factors of circadian health. Overall, the mean eating duration in high school, higher secondary and FY college students ranged from 14.1 to 16.2h. HSSS exhibited the shortest night fasting. Although FY college students exhibited the highest fast food percentage (FF%), a positive correlation between body mass index (BMI) and FF% was observed only among HSSS. Furthermore, the body weight of HSSS was significantly higher, indicating that FF, untimely eating and reduced night fasting were important obesity-associated factors in adolescents. Reduced night fasting duration was also related to shorter sleep in HSSS. Therefore, food data were supplemented with wrist actigraphy, i.e., activity-rest data, in HSSS. Actigraphy externally validated the increased obesogenic consequences of deregulated eating rhythms in HSSS. CamNtech motion watches were used to assess the relationship between disturbed activity cycles of HSSS and other circadian clock-related rhythms, such as sleep. Less than 50% of Indian HSSS slept 6 hours or more per night. Seven of 31 students remained awake throughout the night, during which they had more than 20% of their daily light exposure. Three nonparametric circadian rhythm analysis (NPCRA) variables revealed circadian disruption of activity in HSSS. The present study suggests that inappropriate timing and quality of food and sleep disturbances are important determinants of circadian disruptions in adolescents attending school.

Adolescent Development of Biological Rhythms in Female Rats: Estradiol Dependence and Effects of Combined Contraceptives

“…By characterizing rhythmic outputs that reflect underlying physiological change across adolescence, a greater understanding of typical progression can be garnered and the impact of exogenous hormone manipulation on temporal trajectories can be observed. Temporal disruption at all three timescales is associated with negative health outcomes in adults (Gibson et al, 2010;Casper and Gladanac, 2014;Gotlieb et al, 2018;Kalafatakis et al, 2018;Lightman et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020), and adolescence may be a sensitive period, where disruptions have rapid (Gupta and Khare, 2020) and potentially long-term health impacts (Carskadon et al, 2002;Crowley et al, 2015;Logan et al, 2018;Pereira et al, 2019). Female hormonal contraception is a common example of such disruption in adolescence.…”

Sex Differences in Pubertal Circadian and Ultradian Rhythmic Development Under Semi-naturalistic Conditions

“…At present, children in developed nations begin puberty at an earlier age than in past decades, attributed to body fat and stress-related factors (Bellis et al, 2006, p. 12; Chittwar et al, 2012; Delemarre-van de Waal et al, 2002; Herbison, 2016; Parent et al, 2003). In addition, these children are subject to widely varying temporal disruptions in the form of light at night (Casper and Gladanac, 2014; Jain Gupta and Khare, 2020; Smarr and Schirmer, 2018), late meals (Jain Gupta and Khare, 2020), and female hormonal contraceptives (Apter, 2018). Despite the need for monitoring the effects and interactions of these variables on pubertal health, clinicians are equipped with relatively low temporal resolution tools for pubertal staging and diagnosis (Elchuri and Momen, 2020; Klein et al, 2017; Lauffer et al, 2020), and rhythmic stability throughout adolescent development is not considered by families or pediatricians (Owens and Weiss, 2017).…”

Sex Differences in Pubertal Circadian and Ultradian Rhythmic Development Under Naturalistic Conditions

“…At present, children in developed nations begin puberty at an earlier age than in past decades, attributed to body fat and stress-related factors(Bellis et al, 2006, p. 12; Chittwar et al, 2012; Delemarre-van de Waal et al, 2002; Herbison, 2016; Parent et al, 2003). Additionally, these children are subject to widely varying temporal disruptions in the form of light at night(Casper and Gladanac, 2014; Jain Gupta and Khare, 2020; Smarr and Schirmer, 2018), late meals(Jain Gupta and Khare, 2020), and female hormonal contraceptives(Apter, 2018). Despite the need for monitoring the effects and interactions of these variables on pubertal health, clinicians are equipped with relatively low temporal resolution tools for pubertal staging and diagnosis(Elchuri and Momen, 2020; Klein et al, 2017; Lauffer et al, 2020).…”