Nutrigenomics Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 5;24(2):1008. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021008.
Energy homeostasis and metabolism in mammals are strongly influenced by seasonal changes. Variations in photoperiod patterns drive adaptations in body weight and adiposity, reflecting changes in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. Humans also show distinct patterns of energy balance depending on the season, being more susceptible to gaining weight during a specific time of the year. Changes in body weight are mainly reflected by the adipose tissue, which is a key metabolic tissue and is highly affected by circannual rhythms. Mostly, in summer-like (long-active) photoperiod, adipocytes adopt a rather anabolic profile, more predisposed to store energy, while food intake increases and energy expenditure is reduced. These metabolic adaptations involve molecular modifications, some of which have been studied during the last years and are summarized in this review. In addition, there is a bidirectional relation between obesity and the seasonal responses, with obesity disrupting some of the seasonal responses observed in healthy mammals, and altered seasonality being highly associated with increased risk of developing obesity. This suggests that changes in photoperiod produce important metabolic alterations in healthy organisms. Biological rhythms impact the regulation of metabolism to different extents, some of which are already known, but further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between energy balance and seasonality.
哺乳动物的能量平衡和代谢受季节性变化的强烈影响。光周期模式的变化驱动体重和脂肪量的适应性变化，反映了食物摄入和能量消耗调节的变化。人类的能量平衡也表现出明显的季节性模式，在一年中的特定时间更容易增重。体重的变化主要反映在脂肪组织中，脂肪组织是一种关键的代谢组织，高度受年节律的影响。在类似于夏季（长活跃）的光周期中，脂肪细胞表现出一种合成代谢特征，更容易储存能量，而食物摄入增加，能量消耗减少。这些代谢适应涉及分子修饰，其中一些在过去几年中已经进行了研究，并在本综述中进行了总结。此外，肥胖与季节性反应之间存在双向关系，肥胖破坏了健康哺乳动物中观察到的一些季节性反应，而季节性改变与肥胖风险增加高度相关。这表明光周期的变化会在健康生物体内产生重要的代谢变化。生物节律以不同的程度影响代谢的调节，其中一些已经被发现，但需要进一步的研究来充分理解能量平衡和季节性之间的关系。
