A Canadian study found that disrupted circadian rhythms in mice led to heart disease, reports the CBC.

“If you disturb rhythms, that has adverse effects on your heart,” Martino said in an interview on CBC K-W’s The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris.

“Our shift working mice, just left to do their own thing, over time, developed profound heart disease.”

Circadian clocks are found in all of the body’s cells. The researchers found disturbing that clock triggers changes in the molecular pathways. Specifically, circadian disruption affects microRNA – small molecules that help to regulate gene expression in the heart.

The study was published Feb. 20 in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology.

Read more at www.cbc.ca