#065 Dr. Satchin Panda on Circadian Insights into Exercise Timing, Melatonin Biology, and Peak Cognition
FoundMyFitness
Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.
4.8 • 5.5K Ratings
🗓️ 5 July 2021
⏱️ 89 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Dr. Satchin Panda
Dr. Satchidananda (Satchin) Panda is a professor in the Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
Dr. Panda’s work focuses on chronobiology, the study of the day-night cycles that drive the multifaceted activities of the human body, using genetic, genomic, and biochemical approaches. He is an expert on circadian rhythms and a pioneer in the field of time-restricted eating. A priority for Dr. Panda when designing his studies is to identify strategies that positively impact public health.
In this episode, Dr. Panda and I discuss...
- 00:00:00 - Introduction
- 00:04:29 - How circadian rhythms influence human health
- 00:12:30 - Seeking bright light in the morning and avoiding it in the evening improves sleep
- 00:20:40 - Supplemental melatonin may counteract evening bright light exposure
- 00:26:16 - The relationship between melatonin and insulin secretion
- 00:33:15 - Shift work, jet lag, and modern life contribute to circadian dysfunction
- 00:45:10 - Naps might aid with afternoon sleepiness and sleep loss
- 00:47:05 - Indoor lighting can be used to promote healthy circadian rhythms
- 00:51:20 - Time-restricted eating strengthens circadian biology
- 01:02:13 - Dr. Panda’s ongoing study uses a smartphone app to track diet
- 01:03:41 - Most people are unaware of their eating patterns
- 01:07:58 - How Dr. Panda incorporates his research findings into his own life
- 01:16:21 - Our circadian rhythms dictate when we should exercise
If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/satchin-panda-3
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, my friends. I'm so excited to share a new interview with Dr. Sachin Panda with you. |
| 0:05.9 | Many of you know who Dr. Panda is already, but for those of you who do not, Dr. Sachin Panda is |
| 0:10.9 | a professor and the regulatory biology laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. |
| 0:16.3 | He is an expert on circadian rhythms and the pioneer in the field of time-restricted eating. |
| 0:21.9 | Today's interview is a recording from a clubhouse conversation Dr. Panda and I had in April of 2021. |
| 0:28.0 | He has such a wonderful wealth of knowledge on circadian rhythms and he shares that knowledge with |
| 0:32.9 | us. Their circadian rhythm, which many of us don't ever think about, is something that's deep. |
| 0:38.8 | It's in our tissues. It's in our DNA. It's shaped and molded by the forces of nature over evolutionary |
| 0:45.3 | time. It's conserved across species and alignment to the day and to the night, to the rotation of |
| 0:51.6 | the Earth around the Sun. Sachin is part of that story. We anchor every day to this circadian rhythm |
| 0:58.4 | through this blue light exposure. But how do we do that? Dr. Pandas' role in understanding that |
| 1:04.0 | earlier in his career was in discovering along with his collaborators the very pigment, |
| 1:08.8 | melanopsin, that allows us to align to the rhythm of our very own solar system. |
| 1:13.8 | But circadian rhythms are so much more than just sleep and wakefulness. Many different stimuli |
| 1:19.0 | converge and if they do so in a properly coordinated fashion, we benefit and have health. If they do not, |
| 1:25.9 | we suffer the consequences. Disaster. Dr. Pandas Lab discovered another signal that regulates |
| 1:32.0 | the circadian rhythm in organs involved in metabolism such as the liver. That stimulus is food. |
| 1:38.7 | Food resets the circadian clocks in the liver, stomach, intestines, and other organs. |
| 1:44.1 | Metabolism is optimal during a certain time window, a finding that set the stage for the discovery |
| 1:49.6 | of time restricted feeding or time restricted eating as it's known. That was made in Sachin's lab. |
| 1:55.7 | I've done three episodes with Dr. Panda and with good reason. He is one of my favorite scientists |
| 2:01.2 | on the planet. The research coming from his lab has had and continues to have such a profound |
... |
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