The Guardian newspaper in the U.K. highlighted circadian medicine research from U of G professor Tami Martino, Department of Biomedical Sciences.

The newspaper sought Martino’s comments about recent research that found that circadian rhythms within our immune systems could render us more susceptible to infection or injury at certain times of day or year. Martino said the findings are “exciting confirmation of how biological timing is fundamental to human health.”

The article noted that Martino herself recently found that restoring the gut microbiome in mice with a normal circadian mechanism helped them heal faster from heart damage than mice without a healthy gut microbiome, and mice fed during daytime healed more effectively than those fed at night.

Martino, distinguished chair in molecular cardiovascular research, is the director of U of G’s Centre for Cardiovascular Investigations and researches how our circadian rhythms affect our cardiovascular systems, particularly how circadian disruptions increase the risk for heart disease.

Martino also appeared on CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks to answer a listener question on sleep cycles in animals.