Moderate hunger changes metabolism and affects the daily rhythm, which leads to improved health and reduced risk of aging-related diseases, said scientists at the University of California in Irvine. The study found that hunger affects the daily rhythm of the bodys biological clock, which regulates most metabolic processes and hormonal production in order to regulate the activity of each cell, the researchers said in a report published in the Cell Reports magazine. A study was conducted on laboratory mice that did not eat any food for 24 hours. The researchers noted that hungry mice consumed a small amount of oxygen and energy. The ratio between carbon dioxide in the exhalation and inhaled oxygen was also reduced. However, when the mice were fed, all these observations disappeared, according to Novosti. The researchers said that hunger affects the activity of genes and proteins essential to the bodys daily rhythm, as they found a low activity in "BMAL" and "REV – ERBa" proteins that determine the daily activity of liver and skeletal muscles. "Hunger triggers a series of cellular interactions, which positively affects health and inhibits the development of diseases and aging," said Paolo Sassone-Corsi from the UCI School of Medicine.