Opsin Genes: Activated by Light

Genetic Lifehacks

The semi-annual change of clocks took place in many countries around the world this past weekend. If you're like me, moving the clock an hour in either direction is irritating, disconcerting, just ugh...

This week's featured articles explain why some people are more sensitive to circadian changes and what you can do about it. 

My goal with Genetic Lifehacks is to give you both the science of how your genes work and several solutions to try. I'm working to make the solutions - the Lifehacks - more to the point, practical, and easier to implement. This first new article is a practical solution article.

How to Shift Your iPhone Screen Red at Night

Here's a quick tutorial on how to set up a shortcut on an iPhone (or iPad) to shift the screen to red at the click of a button.  This is something I've had set up on my phone for years, and switching to red at night instantly relieves my eyes and puts me in a relaxed state of mind.

Melanopsin: Light Response, Circadian Rhythm, and Blue Light Exposure

The opsin genes (OPN4, OPN5, etc.) encode protein receptors that are activated by specific wavelengths of light. The best studied is OPN4, which is found in the retina of the eye and is activated by light in the blue wavelengths (~479 nm). Activation of the OPN4 receptor then signals to the brain that it is daytime and stops the production of melatonin.

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New on Longevity Lifehacks:

Testing what works for reversing biological age

In this Longevity Lifehacks article, I explain the results of a new analysis of the results of 51 different studies on different biological age clocks. The results may surprise you... they did me!

If you haven't yet signed up to get the Longevity Lifehacks newsletter on Substack, I wanted to encourage you to do so (if you're interested in the topic!). The newsletter has both a free and a paid option when signing up. At this point, both options give you access to the same newsletter... with just my heartfelt thanks for being a paid subscriber.  At some point, I will be adding bonus features for paid subscribers.

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What I've been reading:

1) Gut microbiota regulates stress responsivity via the circadian system

To add a little more complexity to circadian rhythm, it turns out that the gut microbiome interacts with cortisol, stress, and the circadian systems. The study (in mice) showed that the gut microbiota has a strong circadian rhythm which impacts the rise and fall of our cortisol rhythm over the course of 24 hours. If you feel like an out-of-balance gut ecosystem is stressing you out at the wrong time of the day - well, this study explains why. 

2) Novel biomarkers of mitochondrial dysfunction in Long COVID patients

New study on long covid and mitochondrial dysfunction.
From the abstract: "Our research employed transmission electron microscopy to reveal distinct mitochondrial structural abnormalities in Long COVID patients, notably including significant swelling, disrupted cristae, and an overall irregular morphology, which collectively indicates severe mitochondrial distress. We noted increased levels of superoxide dismutase 1 which signals oxidative stress and elevated autophagy-related 4B cysteine peptidase levels, indicating disruptions in mitophagy. Importantly, our analysis also identified reduced levels of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA (ccf-mtDNA) in these patients, serving as a novel biomarker for the condition. These findings underscore the crucial role of persistent mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Long COVID."