A UK team from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge made a remarkable discovery about the body’s ability to heal wounds. They found that people who burnt or cut themselves during the day healed around 60 per cent faster than those who were injured at night.
The study revealed that people who were burnt between the hours of 8pm and 8am took on average 28 days to recover. In comparison, those who were injured during the daytime took an average of 17 days to heal, which is more than twice as quick.
The researchers studied the medical records of 118 burns patients and discovered that during the day, skin cells moved to the patients’ area of injury faster than during night time. They linked their findings with the body’s circadian rhythm, otherwise known as the body clock.
The human body clock regulates a number of functions within 24-hours, including metabolism, sleep and the release of hormones. Speaking to the Independent, researcher Dr John O’Neill speculated that the increased efficiency could be a result of human evolution in response to the fact that injuries are more likely to occur during the daytime, when people are generally more active.
Dr O’Neill also referred to the leading-edge nature of the new discovery. The academic believes that it is the first time that the body clock has been studied in the context of individual skin cells and how efficiently they respond to injuries.
The researchers believe that their findings could have far wider ramifications, influencing factors such as what time of the day therapies and treatments should take place and improve the efficacy of surgery.
The study revealed that people who were burnt between the hours of 8pm and 8am took on average 28 days to recover. In comparison, those who were injured during the daytime took an average of 17 days to heal, which is more than twice as quick.
The researchers studied the medical records of 118 burns patients and discovered that during the day, skin cells moved to the patients’ area of injury faster than during night time. They linked their findings with the body’s circadian rhythm, otherwise known as the body clock.
The human body clock regulates a number of functions within 24-hours, including metabolism, sleep and the release of hormones. Speaking to the Independent, researcher Dr John O’Neill speculated that the increased efficiency could be a result of human evolution in response to the fact that injuries are more likely to occur during the daytime, when people are generally more active.
Dr O’Neill also referred to the leading-edge nature of the new discovery. The academic believes that it is the first time that the body clock has been studied in the context of individual skin cells and how efficiently they respond to injuries.
The researchers believe that their findings could have far wider ramifications, influencing factors such as what time of the day therapies and treatments should take place and improve the efficacy of surgery.
Reporting by Peter Feely
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