Benefits of being an early riser vs. a night owl
EXETER, U.K./BOSTON — A large-scale genomic analysis has revealed some of the inner workings of the body clock, shedding new light on how it links to mental health and disease. The study, published in Nature Communications, suggests that being genetically programmed to rise early may lead to greater well-being and a lower risk of schizophrenia and depression. However, despite much previous speculation, the results did not reveal any strong links to diseases such as diabetes or obesity. The study was conducted by an international collaboration, led by the University of Exeter and Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and funded primarily by the Medical Research Council of the U.K. It highlighted the key role of the retina in helping the body keep time. It also increased the number of areas of the genome known to influence whether someone is an early riser from 24 to 351. Michael Weedon of the University of Exeter Medical School,...