Want to beat jetlag? Try having your breakfast five hours late

BEATING jetlag could be as simple as eating breakfast five hours later than usual.

Scientists found that delaying mealtimes – or bringing them forward – tricks your body clock into changing time zone more quickly.

Every hour later someone sits down for a meal delays their blood sugar rhythms by the same amount of time, a study found.

The insight could cut jetlag recovery time in half. Holidaymakers are currently advised to get more light in the evening or take a pill containing ‘sunshine chemical’ melatonin. Co- author Dr Jonathan Johnston, from the University of Surrey, explained: ‘Our study suggests that delaying mealtimes or eating earlier could help reset these clocks and cut the amount of time jetlag lasts.

‘On average people take about a week to recover from some longhaul journeys, and we think meal times may help recovery, possibly making it pass twice as fast.’

The research team gave ten healthy male volunteers three meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner – the first 30 minutes after waking and then at five-hour intervals. For the next phase of the experiment, meals were delayed by five hours.

The researchers found there was no effect on insulin or fat levels in the blood. But blood glucose rhythms also fell five hours later, which is important for body clocks. Jetlag occurs when peripheral clocks in organs and tissue fail to sync with the brain’s master clock. The findings suggest eating at different times can make reset more rapidly.

Dr Johnston said: ‘ Someone travelling from Britain to the US is currently told to avoid light in the morning and get more light in the evening to start delaying their internal clocks in preparation for the new time zone. These findings suggest they should delay their meals by a few hours and eat them later in the two days before they fly. This could help reduce the effects of jetlag.’

The findings are most likely to affect people who take frequent long-haul flights or work night shifts. The study, published in the journal Cell Biology, offers a drugfree solution for them.