Body clock disruption linked to greater infection risk

People are more susceptible to infection at certain times of the day, new research has shown.

Academics from the University of Cambridge found that the body clock affected the ability of viruses to replicate and spread between cells, with those in a resting phase or with a disrupted body clock more likely to succumb to illness.

The findings, published in the Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences (PNAS), may help explain why shift workers, whose body clocks are routinely disrupted, are more prone to health problems, including infections and chronic disease.