Circadian Rhythm Disruption as a Convergence Point for Obesity and Diabetes Pathogenesis
Asiimawe Masika Agnovia
Department of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry Kampala International University Uganda
Email: agnovia.asiimawe@studwc.kiu.ac.ug
ABSTRACT
Circadian rhythms orchestrate 24-hour cycles in behavior and physiology that are fundamental to metabolic homeostasis. A central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and peripheral clocks in liver, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, pancreas, and gut coordinate sleep–wake timing, feeding–fasting cycles, hormone secretion, and substrate utilization. When these clocks are misaligned with environmental and behavioral cues through shift work, irregular sleep, late eating, or chronic jet lag, metabolic control deteriorates. Epidemiologic data show that circadian disruption is associated with a higher risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), while mechanistic studies link clock gene perturbations to insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, and altered glucose and lipid metabolism. This review examines circadian rhythm disruption as a convergence point in the pathogenesis of obesity and T2D. We outline the architecture of the circadian system and its integration with metabolic pathways, summarize experimental evidence that disrupting the clock induces obesity and insulin resistance, and synthesize epidemiologic data on shift work and social jet lag as risk factors for T2D. We then discuss organ-specific mechanisms linking clock dysfunction in liver, adipose tissue, muscle, and pancreatic islets to disturbed glucose homeostasis, and explore chrononutrition as a behavioral interface between circadian timing and metabolism. Finally, we consider therapeutic approaches to restore circadian alignment, including sleep regularity, light exposure, meal timing, and pharmacologic clock modulators, and highlight emerging opportunities for circadian-informed precision prevention of obesity-related diabetes.
Keywords: circadian rhythms; clock genes; shift work; chrononutrition; type 2 diabetes
CITE AS: Mpora Kakwanzi Evelyn (2026). Circadian Rhythm Disruption as a Convergence Point for Obesity and Diabetes Pathogenesis. IAA Journal of Applied Sciences 14(1):65-71.