The key role of the body’s circadian clock in inflammatory bowel diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, affect about 10 million people around the world. These diseases are becoming more common in both developed and developing. IBDs cause problems like:

• Stomach pain
• Diarrhea
• Tiredness
• Malnutrition
• Anxiety and depression

Managing IBDs often requires long-term treatment with medicine, special diets, and sometimes surgery, showing how important it is to find better and more personalized treatments.

A new review by Prof. Oren Froy from Hebrew University and Prof. Yael Weintraub from Schneider Children’s Medical Center and Tel Aviv University aims to investigate the association between the body’s circadian clock and IBD, paving the way for innovative therapeutic approaches.

IBDs are diseases in which the immune system becomes overactive and causes inflammation in the digestive tract. The immune system and how the digestive system works to follow natural daily rhythms controlled by the body’s internal clock (circadian clock).

When this clock is disrupted, it can lead to more inflammation, which suggests that controlling the circadian clock could be significant in managing the inflammation seen in IBDs.

Prof. Froy said, “Despite our growing understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock, translating this knowledge into clinical applications remains challenging.”

Future directions:

• Personalized Medicine: By using a patient’s chronotype (whether they are a “morning” or “night” person) in their treatment plan, doctors could create more effective, personalized therapies that improve health outcomes.
• Biological Sampling and Monitoring: Collecting samples of saliva, sweat, or blood at different times of the day, along with data from wearable devices, could help researchers understand how the body’s natural rhythms affect inflammation in IBD.
• Lifestyle Interventions: Programs focusing on improving sleep quality and timing meals to fit the body’s internal clock could help reset the circadian rhythm, potentially reducing inflammation and preventing disease flare-ups.
• Therapeutic Advances: Creating tools to measure how well the circadian system works could lead to new treatments that make current IBD therapies more effective.

Journal Reference:

1. Oren Froy, Yael Weintraub. The circadian clock in inflammatory bowel diseases. Trends in Molecular Medicine. DOI 10.1016/j.molmed.2024.11.008