About

Eve Van Cauter is an Emeritus/Emerita Professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Medicine-Endocrinology. Her research activities focus on sleep, circadian rhythms, and their impact on metabolic and cardiometabolic health. She has conducted extensive studies on how sleep disturbances, circadian misalignment, and sleep loss influence glucose regulation, insulin resistance, obesity, and cardiovascular risk. Her work includes investigating the biological mechanisms underlying these associations and exploring potential interventions such as pharmacologic treatments and light exposure to improve health outcomes. Van Cauter has contributed significantly to understanding the role of sleep and circadian biology in endocrine and metabolic processes, with numerous publications in the field.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Computer Science
• Endocrinology
• Internal medicine
• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Biology
• Physiology
• Ophthalmology

Selected publications

• Short-term sleep restriction in humans alters diurnal circulating metabolite profiles, including those of microbial origin

  Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2026-03-15

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUNDGut microbes and their metabolites contribute to the host circulating metabolome and exhibit diurnal variation influenced by sleep-wake cycles and meal timing. Sleep deprivation alters the rhythmic circulating metabolome, but its impact on microbial metabolites remains unclear. We tested whether 24-hour circulating metabolite profiles, including those of microbial origin, differ under normal (habitual) versus short-term restricted sleep.METHODSIn a randomized crossover design, 9 healthy adults completed 2 in-lab 24-hour blood sampling sessions (q120): one following 3 nights of normal sleep (8.5 hours/night), the other following 3 nights of sleep restriction (4.5 hours/night). Meal timing and caloric intake were held constant. Serum metabolites were characterized using untargeted reverse-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and rhythmicity was assessed using empirical JTK_CYCLE analysis.RESULTSWe identified 90 metabolites, including 14 of microbial origin or derived from host metabolism of microbial products, e.g., butyrate and tryptophan derivatives. Sleep restriction significantly altered serum metabolite composition compared with normal sleep. While many compounds maintained rhythmicity across conditions, sleep restriction disrupted rhythms of several key compounds, including microbe-derived metabolites. Notably, butyrate and indole-3-propionic acid lost rhythmicity, whereas new rhythms emerged in the tryptophan catabolite, kynurenine, and lipid metabolism intermediates.CONCLUSIONWe provide evidence that microbial metabolites are detectable in human blood and exhibit sleep-dependent rhythmicity. Sleep restriction alters diurnal circulating microbial and host-derived metabolite rhythms even under constant meal timing, composition, and calories. These findings support links between host sleep patterns and gut microbial metabolism and suggest microbial metabolites as potential biomarkers or mediators of sleep loss-associated health risks.TRIAL REGISTRATIONNCT00989976.FUNDINGNIH/NCRR KL2RR025000; R56DK102872-01A1, P30DK020595; P30DK042086; K01DK111785; F31DK122714; DOD W81XWH-07-2-0071.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring metabolomic clues in diabetic retinopathy: a pilot study

  Acta Diabetologica · 2026-03-17

  articleOpen access

  with diabetes [1].Prevalence is expected to increase; by 2045, an estimated 160.50 million adults worldwide will be afflicted by DR, and 44.82 million will experience visionthreatening DR [1].Early detection is necessary for reducing DR progression.Despite major risk factors such as hyperglycemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, considerable variability in DR onset and progression remains unexplained.This suggests a need to explore pathophysiological mechanisms and biomarker identification.Emerging evidence from metabolomics-the study of small-molecule metabolites in biological systems-has shown promise in uncovering molecular alterations associated with diabetic complications, including DR [2].Previous studies identified metabolites like 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) and 3,4-dihydroxybutyrate (3,4-DHBA) as DR-related [2], pointing to inflammation and altered lipid metabolism.However, few studies include healthy controls (HC) in addition to DR and no-DR groups [2].Recognizing the need for more comprehensive designs, this study uses untargeted metabolomics to examine DR, no-DR, and HC groups to identify biomarkers and gain insight into DR pathogenesis. Materials and methodsWe analyzed baseline fasting serum samples from 77 participants aged 40-65 years, drawn from a cohort who had previously enrolled in sleep and circadian rhythm studies conducted at a tertiary academic hospital.Post-illumination pupillary light reflex (PIPR), a measure of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) located in the inner retina, and nocturnal urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s); both previously shown to be reduced in DR, were collected using standardized protocols, previously

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Extending Sleep to Improve Glucose Metabolism in Adults With Short Sleep and Prediabetes: A Challenging Intervention

  Diabetes Care · 2026-04-20

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Sleep and cardiorespiratory function assessed by a smart bed over 10 weeks post COVID-19 infection

  Scientific Reports · 2025-01-21 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Inadequate information exists regarding physiological changes post-COVID-19 infection. We used smart beds to record biometric data following COVID-19 infection in nonhospitalized patients. Recordings of daily biometric signals over 14 weeks in 59 COVID-positive participants’ homes in 2020 were compared with the same participants’ data from 2019. Participants completed a survey of demographic information, health conditions, COVID exposure and testing, and symptom prevalence/subjective severity. Mean age was 47.5 years (standard deviation [SD] 9.5), mean body mass index was 30.1 kg/m2 (SD 7.1), and 46% were men. During acute infection, 64% exhibited 5–6 h increased sleep duration, 51% had increased movement, and 64% had increased breathing rate (BR). Nearly 34% had paradoxical bradycardia (decreased heart rate by ~ 10 BPM concomitant with elevated BR and/or fever), with more-severe symptoms. Smart beds can detect physiological changes during COVID-19. A subtype of acute response (paradoxical bradycardia) may predict delay recovery from COVID-19.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Multidimensional sleep health in type 2 diabetes: The role of sleep variability in glycemic control

  Sleep Medicine · 2025-10-15 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• 6828 Exploring Metabolomic Clues in Diabetic Retinopathy

  Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2024-10-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Disclosure: M.W. Simonson: None. Y. Li: None. J.J. McAnany: None. B. Prasad: None. E.C. Hanlon: None. S. Pannain: None. B.T. Layden: None. E. Van Cauter: None. J.C. Park: None. S.J. Crowley: None. F.Y. Chau: None. K.K. Danielson: None. H. Chen: None. G.E. Chlipala: None. C. Martinez: None. S. Reutrakul: Speaker; Self; Eli Lilly & Company. Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes. Metabolomics offers the possibility for novel biomarker discovery. The purpose of this study was to determine metabolomic differences that characterized patients with versus without DR. Methods: A total of 62 serum samples were collected from 36 type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with DR and 26 T2D patients without DR, and analyzed via UPLC-MS. The metabolite data were normalized using median normalization. The differential expression of metabolites was compared among the groups using the limma package in R. The covariates (age, sex, BMI and sleep apnea severity) were accounted for by using a generalized linear model fitted to the data. Significantly different metabolites were filtered by an absolute log2 Fold Change (FC) of 1.5 or greater and Q values < 0.05. Results: Mean (SD) age for DR and no-DR group was 55 (±5.9) versus 54 (±6.7) years, while BMI was 33 (±5.8) versus 33 (±6.3) kg/m2 respectively. Both DR and no-DR groups were 58% female. A1C levels in DR group was marginally higher than in no-DR group (p=0.09). There were significant differences in metabolomic changes between DR versus no-DR, with 166 total differential metabolites after adjusting for covariates and filtering by FC. Notable metabolites included those involved in fatty acid metabolism, acyl carnitines, prostaglandins, and phospholipids. There was an overall upregulation of serum acyl carnitines in DR as compared to no-DR, including 2,6 dimethylheptanoyl carnitine (FC = 3.0) and cis-5-Tetradecenoylcarnitine (FC = 2.0). Additionally, there was a decrease in long chain fatty acids in DR as compared to no-DR, which included 6-hydroxypentadecanedioic acid (FC = -6.6), 10,16-dihydroxy-palmitic acid (FC = -6.0), and tetracosatetraenoyl CoA (FC = -6.1). The 11-beta prostaglandin F2 (11-PGF2) was increased in DR (FC = 1.9). Circulating phospholipids including lysophosphatidylcholine (22:2) (lysoPC) (FC = 1.8) and phosphatidylcholine (24:1/24:1) (PC) (FC = 5.9) were also significantly dysregulated. Conclusions: We identified a subset of metabolites that discriminate T2D patients with or without DR. The changes in acyl carnitines and long chain fatty acids may reflect mitochondrial dysfunction in DR. The presence of certain prostaglandins highlights the inflammatory environment which may facilitate DR progression. Increases in phospholipids such as lysoPC suggest an atherogenic state and higher LDL oxidation, while increases in PC may indicate altered lipogenesis in DR. These findings may serve as new potential serum biomarkers to promote efficient preventive care and provide mechanistic insight into understanding DR pathophysiology. Presentation: 6/2/2024

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dysregulated 24 h melatonin secretion associated with intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell function in diabetic retinopathy: a cross-sectional study

  Diabetologia · 2024 · 11 citations

  • Internal medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Medicine
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sleep and Cardiorespiratory Function Assessed by a Smart Bed Over 10 Weeks Post COVID-19 Infection

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2024-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Dormir moins de six heures par nuit diminue la réponse immunitaire induite par la vaccination

  2023-03-14

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Disruption of the circadian rhythm of melatonin: A biomarker of critical illness severity

  Sleep Medicine · 2023-07-28 · 14 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Training Grant in Circadian and Sleep Research-Resubmission

  NIH · $9.1M · 1998–2030

• NIH Grant R01DK041814

  NIH · $2.0M · 2005

• NIH Grant U01DK094431

  NIH · $5.1M · 2020

• NIH Grant R01DK071696

  NIH · $2.9M · 2011

• Metabolic and Molecular Laboratory Core

  NIH · $50.4M · 1997–2023

Frequent coauthors

• Rachel Leproult

  Université Libre de Bruxelles

  184 shared

• Georges Copinschi

  Université Libre de Bruxelles

  134 shared

• Derk‐Jan Dijk

  University of Surrey

  87 shared

• Étienne Challet

  Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives

  85 shared

• Karine Spiegel

  85 shared

• E. R. de Kloet

  Leiden University Medical Center

  83 shared

• Alexandros N. Vgontzas

  Pennsylvania State University

  82 shared

• Emanuela Arvat

  University of Turin

  81 shared

Labs

• Eve Van CauterPI

Education

• Ph.D., Medicine

  University of Chicago

  1989

• M.D., Medicine

  University of Chicago

  1983

• B.A., Biology

  University of Chicago

  1979