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Abay, K. A., & Amare, M. (2018). Night light intensity and women's body weight: Evidence from Nigeria. Econ Hum Biol, 31, 238–248.
Abstract: The prevalence of overweight and obesity are increasing in many African countries and hence becoming regional public health challenges. We employ satellite-based night light intensity data as a proxy for urbanization to investigate the relationship between urbanization and women's body weight. We use two rounds of the Demographic and Health Survey data from Nigeria. We employ both nonparametric and parametric estimation approaches that exploit both the cross-sectional and longitudinal variations in night light intensities. Our empirical analysis reveals nonlinear relationships between night light intensity and women's body weight measures. Doubling the sample's average level of night light intensity is associated with up to a ten percentage point increase in the probability of overweight. However, despite the generally positive relationship between night light intensity and women's body weight, the strength of the relationship varies across the assorted stages of night light intensity. Early stages of night light intensity are not significantly associated with women's body weight, while higher stages of nightlight intensities are associated with higher rates of overweight and obesity. Given that night lights are strong predictors of urbanization and related economic activities, our results hint at nonlinear relationships between various stages of urbanization and women's body weight.
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Bray, M. S., & Young, M. E. (2012). Chronobiological Effects on Obesity. Curr Obes Rep, 1(1), 9–15.
Abstract: The development of obesity is the consequence of a multitude of complex interactions between both genetic and environmental factors. It has been suggested that the dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity over the past 30 years has been the result of environmental changes that have enabled the full realization of genetic susceptibility present in the population. Among the many environmental alterations that have occurred in our recent history is the ever-increasing dyssynchrony between natural cycles of light/dark and altered patterns of sleep/wake and eating behavior associated with our “24-hour” lifestyle. An extensive research literature has established clear links between increased risk for obesity and both sleep deprivation and shift work, and our understanding of the consequences of such dyssynchrony at the molecular level is beginning to emerge. Studies linking alterations in cellular circadian clocks to metabolic dysfunction point to the increasing importance of chronobiology in obesity etiology.
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Bray, M. S., & Young, M. E. (2012). Chronobiological Effects on Obesity. Curr Obes Rep, 1(1), 9–15.
Abstract: The development of obesity is the consequence of a multitude of complex interactions between both genetic and environmental factors. It has been suggested that the dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity over the past 30 years has been the result of environmental changes that have enabled the full realization of genetic susceptibility present in the population. Among the many environmental alterations that have occurred in our recent history is the ever-increasing dyssynchrony between natural cycles of light/dark and altered patterns of sleep/wake and eating behavior associated with our “24-hour” lifestyle. An extensive research literature has established clear links between increased risk for obesity and both sleep deprivation and shift work, and our understanding of the consequences of such dyssynchrony at the molecular level is beginning to emerge. Studies linking alterations in cellular circadian clocks to metabolic dysfunction point to the increasing importance of chronobiology in obesity etiology.
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Cornean, R. E., Margescu, M., & Simionescu, B. (2015). Disruption of the Cyrcadian System and Obesity. Jurnalul Pediatrului, XVIII(Supplement 3), 38–42.
Abstract: Disruption of the cyrcadian system is a relatively new concept incriminated as being responsible for obesity, cardiovascular involvement, cognitive impairment, premature aging and last but not least, cancer. Because obesity is undoubtedly assimilated today to the medical conditions related to the disruption of the normal chronobiology, this paper presents the pivotal role of chronodisruption in the neuroendocrine control of appetite among these patients.
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Eisenstein, M. (2013). Chronobiology: stepping out of time. Nature, 497(7450), S10–2.
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