Circadian Rhythm: Make the most of health foods
The first supplement-taking schedule formula was created using the human factors theory. The Wel-Bloom Biotech Efficacy Platform unfolds the absorption key of the formula. Is there a “when to take supplements” and a “when not to take them?” How does timing decrease or increase nutrient absorption?
The combination of the circadian rhythm and the concept of nutrient timing multiplies the benefits of nutraceuticals.
In 2017, Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the molecular mechanism of the circadian rhythm[1]. They discovered that double-time, a gene, can produce the DBT protein, which delays the accumulation of PER protein and gradually adjusts the biological clock to a cycle close to 24 hours. The biological clock regulates our physiological functions, such as behavior, hormones, sleep, body temperature, and metabolism, in a precise way. Sunlight is an essential element of biological clock activation. When sunlight hits our eyes in the morning, the light moves along the optic nerve and activates the biological clock (the suprachiasmatic nucleus) in the brain. The suprachiasmatic nucleus will inform the pineal gland to stop secreting melatonin, a sleep hormone, to gradually wake us up and start releasing cortisol between 6 and 8 a.m., allowing us to cope with stress, be refreshed, and look good. When the sun goes down, the pineal gland starts to secrete melatonin, which makes people sleepy.
[1] https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2017/press-release/
Since the three awardees discovered the molecular mechanism of the circadian rhythm, the human biological clock has become a popular topic of research and is widely used in physiology and pharmacology.
The concept of the biological clock has been recorded in the health care methods of the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor from the Warring States period to the Western Han Dynasty[1]. The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor focuses on the harmony of nature and man and the unity of body and spirit. It regards the 24 solar terms as the ideological foundation and believes that human and disease mechanisms are inextricably linked to the 24 solar terms. The 24 solar terms are divided by the position of the sun on the ecliptic, reflecting the movement of the sun. The midnight-noon and ebb-flow doctrines in the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor are based on 24 solar terms, which divide 24 hours into 12 periods that correspond to the 12 meridians of the human body, and the body’s qi and blood will flow to different meridians in different periods. Therefore, we should work at sunrise and rest at sunset to cultivate our body and mind according to the time of heaven and earth.
Based on the two major concepts of biological clocks in the East and the West, Wel-Bloom Biotech applies the big data management tools of health and takes advantage of the properties of ingredients and physiological mechanisms, introducing the “Precise Nutrition, Just in Time” series with the R & D center led by Ting Ting Liu, Ph.D. in Physiology of the University of Tokyo, Japan. Wel-Bloom Biotech’s health food not only tastes good but can also maximize the health benefits.
[1]董廣民 (2015). 《黃帝內經》十二時辰養生法。中醫古籍出版社
If health food is eaten at the right time, the benefits will be multiplied.
When you’re taking supplements to increase nutrient absorption in your body, when to take supplements is equally as important as what supplements you take. The best way is programming your supplement-taking schedule to make the most of the supplements you take.
Wel-Bloom’s database has accumulated more than 40,000 compound formulas. We apply the concept of human factors theory for development and emphasize Body X Time X Nutrition to meet the body’s needs for a full range of nutrition. Through continuous technical investment, we have achieved better human bioavailability of health foods, obtained multiple patent techniques, and discovered that the human body’s biological clock affects nutrition absorption rate. Therefore, Wel-Bloom Biotech can provide a better service by unlocking the absorption property of nutrients in health food.
There have been many studies on human organs with nutrient timing. In these studies, more clocks were found to control human body mechanisms, such as muscle clocks, obesity clocks, eye clocks, skin clocks, etc. Some studies also found that melatonin has a direct relationship with the intestinal tract[1]. Melatonin is in charge of intestinal hunger and satiety and also affects the timing of intestinal digestion. When melatonin starts to increase at night, gastrointestinal function will be restricted; when the sun rises, melatonin drops and starts the gastrointestinal clock, and the gastrointestinal system begins to function to facilitate bowel movement and digestion. In addition, 2:00 a.m. is the most active time for the immune clock to run, and the active immune function will help the human body repair itself when sleeping. To build good immunity, you should be in deep sleep at 2 a.m. to match the operation of the human body.
However, biological clocks are mostly used in time dietetics and time pharmacology to investigate what food or medicine should be eaten at a certain time and rarely to discuss the timing of health food supplementation. For example, the supplementation timing for whitening health foods is different from glutathione and other vitamin C-containing health foods. Glutathione should be supplemented before bed to match the work time of the liver, ensure maximum effectiveness, and prevent melasma[2]. Vitamin C should be supplemented before going outside because it can effectively reduce the damage of ultraviolet rays on the skin[3]. In addition, the best time to take tryptophan, which is often used to promote sleep, is in the morning. This is because tryptophan needs to be converted into serotonin through light, and after the sun goes down, the body will convert the serotonin into melatonin again to help sleep[4].
[1] Michael Breus (2017). 生理時鐘決定一切。圓神出版
[2] https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/wpr-190627
[3] https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/health-disease/skin-health/vitamin-C
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3691879/
There are different opinions on the effect of timing when it comes to eating health foods. Does the right timing increase nutrient absorption when health foods are taken? It is generally agreed that health foods are great and effective. However, the effects of taking them at the wrong time may be undesirable.
In a study by Aoyama et al. in 2021, 60 elderly women were divided into breakfast and dinner groups[1]. They consumed the same amount of protein in total but were divided according to the protein intake amounts of breakfast and dinner. The study found that women who consumed more protein at breakfast had a faster rate of muscle weight gain than women who consumed more protein at dinner. Women who consumed more protein at breakfast had approximately 16% more grip strength than women who consumed more protein at dinner. The results of the study also showed that following the muscle clock for protein supplementation will increase the speed of muscle growth. Therefore, the concept of “Precise Nutrition, Just in Time” is particularly important.
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124721007129
Wel-Bloom Biotech, as a consultant of health food business opportunities, introduces the concept of “Precise Nutrition, Just in Time”, a new way to supplement health food that comes from our upgraded techniques and our pursuit of correspondence with physiological mechanisms to maximize the effect of nutritional supplementation.