If in summer we could only eat raw fruit and vegetables, in winter it is more synonymous with raclette, tartiflette and other hearty dishes of good cheer. But despite their nutritional nature, It seems that these meals are not enough to satisfy our (almost) unlimited appetite. Only one question therefore arises: why? To answer this question, researchers from the University of Copenhagen studied the eating habits of mice depending on the seasons and reported the results in the journal Cell phone diary. Obviously the behavior of the latter towards food would vary depending on the seasons.
“We found that even in non-seasonal animals, differences in daylight hours between summer and winter lead to differences in energy metabolism.”says Lewin Small, co-author of the study and a doctor at the Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen.
He pursues:
“In mice exposed to hours of winter light, weight gain and fat accumulation were less significant. Their metabolism is accelerated, which means they eat faster. This in turn led to metabolic health benefits. »
Why such results?
Simply becauseWinter is a season in which the body constantly fights against the cold, which causes an increase in energy expenditure. Caroline Seguin, dietician nutritionist explains this phenomenon in the columns of Marie Claire :
“We burn more calories, increase blood sugar levels which decrease more rapidly. So hunger factors increase to “warm up” our body. Temperature interacts directly with blood sugar, hormones and therefore with our sense of hunger. »
There is still a lot to learn about the human body
If we now know that differences in time and light impact the metabolism of mice, is this also the case in humans? According to Juleen Zierath, co-author of the study, The answer is yes. But according to her, To this end, further studies in humans are necessary “demonstrate that changing our exposure to artificial light at night or to natural light throughout the year could be used to improve our metabolic health”.
In the meantime, enjoy your tartiflette!
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
