Satbayev University hosted a round table on the topic" Unified time zone: scientific aspects", where scientists and experts in the field of Medicine, Neuroscience, biophysics, genetics, Astrophysics, metrology and physiology discussed the impact of time zone changes on the health, productivity and well-being of the population of Kazakhstan. The participants noted the importance of returning to natural time to harmonize biological rhythms, improve the quality of life and optimize economic processes in the country.
As a moderator, the minister of Science and higher education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek, who in his opening speech noted that time management is a key element that affects the economy and health of the nation and goes beyond household amenities.
Approaches to the problem of changing the time zone are different, and our task is to consider this issue objectively, based on scientific data and international experience. In such conditions, countries that were able to correctly build a daily lifestyle have succeeded, - said the minister.
The issue of time affects every person in Kazakhstan, because it concerns not only marriage, but also health, work productivity and the well-being of its inhabitants. However, the basis of this problem lies deeper than the integration of the country into a single logistics and administrative system.
Since the distant 1930, Kazakhstan, as a component of the Soviet Union, has been living according to the then advanced "maternity time" of one hour, to which the tendency to switch to annual "summer time" has been added. As a result, the population was subjected to a state of "desynchronosis" – that is, the harmony between the mode of human existence and the natural solar cycle was destroyed. And the reform aimed at changing the current time zone is aimed at correcting this inequality.
Scientist Sultan Tuleukhanov, a specialist in applied biophysics, chronobiology, environmental biophysics and Physiology, noted in his speech that the solar cycle is the basis of human physiology:
I started dealing with cyclic processes 50 years ago from the point of view of Medicine. We realized that the circadian rhythm of a person is genetically programmed, and the central mechanism of this process is the circadian rhythm of melatonin, - said Sultan Tuleukhanov.
The tendency to move to natural time allows you to restore biological cycles, improve the quality of sleep and Fight Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
According to the world's leading scientists, the transition to natural time will improve the health of the population, reduce social costs and contribute to the sustainable development of the country. Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rozbash and Michael Young, winners of the 2017 Nobel Prize in the field of chronobiology, proved that human circadian rhythms play a key role in regulating sleep, hormonal background, metabolism and other important processes in the body.
Kazakh scientists agree with this opinion. Chief freelance oncologist of the Ministry of health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, chairman of the Board of the "Kazakh Research Institute of oncology and radiology" Dilyara Kaidarova noted that for public health it is better to use a time that coincides with the time of the natural sun:
Kazakhstan lives in the natural time zone UTC+5. The natural time zone allows the body to coordinate with the natural daily cycles of light and darkness. This contributes to the constant secretion of melatonin, which protects cells from damage and has an antitumor effect. Thus, synchronizing circadian rhythms with natural time reduces the risk of developing cancer, he said in his speech.
The economic costs of introducing natural time are too exaggerated, as modern lighting technologies significantly reduce energy costs. This reform will contribute to the optimization of administrative and economic processes in the country, since the Unified time will facilitate doing business both within Kazakhstan itself and with international partners, as well as planning transport schedules. In general, the state expects that this reform will have a positive impact on the economy.
The International Alliance for the support of natural time (IANT) confirms these findings, and its interest is to help society move to natural time for the purpose of sustainable development.
Other experts also spoke at the meeting, who showed the benefits of switching to UTC+5 from different angles. Darkhan Erezhep, head of the Department of standardization, certification and metrology at Satbayev University, spoke about the history of time standardization on a global scale and noted that it is impossible to develop world trade without recognizing the results of measurements carried out in different countries.
Askar Kalekeshov, a leading researcher at the Institute of genetics and physiology, shared facts from research on the physiology of the circadian cycle in humans. He noted that failure to follow the correct sleep pattern disrupts the work of all systems of the body, from thought processes and memory to appearance, body weight and general health. And for children, the sleep factor is even more important.
Despite the proven positive effect of the transition to natural cycles, the government is systematically monitoring the process of introducing a single time zone, given the difficulty of such a large-scale change. Therefore, the Ministry of Science and higher education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and transport, as well as the Ministry of digital development, innovation and aerospace industry organized and supported this round table.
The participants of the Round Table noted the need to strengthen interdepartmental cooperation and expand scientific research to develop proposals aimed at improving the quality of life of the population. All parties expressed their readiness to cooperate to implement balanced and scientifically sound decisions in the field of time regulation.
At the end of the round table, the participants adopted a resolution. In addition, the issue of creating an association of chronobiologists on the basis of Al-Farabi kaznu is being considered.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/dsm/press/news/details/911197