Body clock disturbances affect heart

A new study has found that cardiovascular disease is connected to disturbances in the body's 24-hour clock, technically called circadian clock.
A team of Japanese researchers conducted a study on mice to reach the conclusion.
To start with, scientists were already aware of genes that are essential elements for the circadian clock.
Like, mice lacking a pair of molecules known as cryptochromes have an abnormal circadian rhythm.
But, the Kyoto University study made progress in observing that the mice were vulnerable to high blood pressure.
It was because of abnormally high levels of a hormone called ldosterone that prompts water retention in the kidneys.
The researchers showed that the circadian clock directly controls a gene, similar to what is found in humans, that plays a key role in production of the hormone.
The experts insisted that the study supplemented the reason why shift workers, long-distance flight crews and people with sleep disorders have a heightened risk of heart problems.
Lead researcher Professor Hitoshi Okamura believes the study can be useful in finding new ways to treat hypertension.