England-based University of Cambridge researchers studied the strength of viruses depending on the time of day, according to BBC News. The study involved influenza-infected mice.
PNAS published the study.
Here are five takeaways:
1. The study revealed mice infected with the virus in the morning had "10 times the viral levels" compared to those infected in the evening time, according to BBC News.
2. The researchers noted a virus requires all hands on deck to successfully take over cells to replicate and infect, which is in the morning.
3. During the 24-hour pattern body clock, a body's cells change. When researchers altered a mouse's body clock, the viruses were able to infect more easily.
4. The researchers found the clock gene Bmal1 peaks in the afternoon and is weaker in the morning, thus exposing the mice to infection in the morning.
5. The researchers said their results could help halt pandemics, as people may fare better by staying inside during daytime hours.
