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CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY AND DISEASE

Sex-dependent link between circadian misalignment and adiposity

A cross-sectional study shows that proxies of circadian misalignment, such as late chronotype and social jet lag, are associated with increased adiposity in adolescent girls but not adolescent boys, highlighting a potential sex-specific effect of circadian misalignment. Interventions targeting sleep timing should be considered in the prevention of adolescent obesity.

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Fig. 1: Schematic representation of the association of social jet lag with fat mass index in girls and boys.

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Acknowledgements

J.Q. was supported in part by American Diabetes Association (award number 1-17-PDF-103) and by the NIH (grant R01DK102696). F.A.J.L.S. was supported in part by the NIH (grants R01HL118601, R01DK099512, R01DK102696, R01DK105072 and R01HL140574).

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Correspondence to Frank A. J. L. Scheer.

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F.A.J.L.S. received speaker fees from Bayer Healthcare, Sentara Healthcare, Philips, Kellogg Company, Vanda Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer. J.Q. declares no competing interests.

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Qian, J., Scheer, F.A.J.L. Sex-dependent link between circadian misalignment and adiposity. Nat Rev Endocrinol 16, 13–15 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0293-4

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