Hormonal
Deficiency in the mPer2 clock gene disrupts the diurnal rhythm of hypothalamic alpha-MSH, leading to loss of feeding rhythm, light-period hyperphagia, and obesity on a high-fat diet.
If you struggle with night-time eating or obesity, your internal body clock (specifically the mPer2 gene's regulation of alpha-MSH) might be driving your hunger at the wrong times. This isn't just willpower; it's a hormonal rhythm. Aligning your eating window with your active/dark period (or treating light-period eating as a medical symptom) may help. The paper suggests that restoring the alpha-MSH pulse can reverse this pattern.
The diurnal rhythm of neuroendocrine peptide alpha-MSH, a major effector of appetite control, is disrupted in the hypothalamus of mPer2-/- mice... On high-fat diet, they eat as much during the light period as they do during the dark period and develop significant obesity.
Why this rating
High-quality controlled animal study with clear mechanistic pathways and statistical significance, though limited to mice.
Source
The Role of mPer2 Clock Gene in Glucocorticoid and Feeding Rhythms
Shutong Yang et al. · Endocrinology · 2009
DOI 10.1210/en.2008-0705
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