Figure 1

In the normal state, circadian rhythms generated by the central and peripheral clocks coordinate metabolic processes to maintain health. Metabolic stress or circadian misalignment due to nocturnal activities or jet lag leads to clock dysfunction that promotes systemic metabolic dysfunction. Studies performed in murine transgenic models have indicated that peripheral clocks, especially those in adipose tissue and the pancreas, are crucially involved in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis, suggesting the existence of a negative feedback loop between metabolic stress and clock dysfunction.