The relation between the circadian clock and alcoholic liver disease

Researchers from the University of Notre Dame and the Indiana University School of Medicine discovered the relationship between the circadian clock and alcoholic liver disease and how the circadian clock plays a significant role in the development of hepatic steatosis, caused by alcohol. 35% of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, according to the statistics. The team of researchers was led by Professor Giles Duffield, from Notre Dame's Department of Biological Sciences and Eck Institute for Global Health, in association with Suthat Liangpunsakul from the Indiana University School of Medicine's Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The research was released on mice. “These daily rhythms are regulated by the circadian clock within those liver cells, and disturbances to the molecular clock mechanism or poor temporal coordination of the clock with the timing of eating, or the sleep-wake and rest-activity cycle, can lead to illness”, said Duffield.