Israel Prime Minister Golda Meir once declared, “I must govern
the clock, not be governed by it.” While she was referring to
peace with Arab nations, scientists have been working to
understand the mechanisms of our body’s own internal clocks,
called circadian rhythms, in an effort to control any
malfunctions that could be contributing to the rise in obesity,
diabetes, heart disease, and other health conditions. Last
month, a finding from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the
University of Murcia in Spain determined that dieters who ate
their largest meal earlier in the day lost 25 percent more
weight than those who consumed it later in the day — likely due
to the timed fluctuations in the body’s metabolic rate and in
hormones responsible for storing energy as fat. Other recent
experiments with mice suggest that snacking on fatty snack foods
during normal sleep time produces obesity even when overall
calorie consumption remains unchanged. And previous studies have
established the health risks of night shift wor