Chrono-nutrition: a review of current evidence from observational studies on global trends in time-of-day of energy intake and its association with obesity
Open accessAbstract
The importance of the circadian rhythm in regulating human food intake behaviour and metabolism has long been recognised. However, little is known as to how energy intake is distributed over the day in existing populations, and its potential association with obesity. The present review describes global trends in time-of-day of energy intake in the general population based on data from cross-sectional surveys and longitudinal cohorts. Evidence of the association between time-of-day of energy intake and obesity is also summarised. Overall, there were a limited number of cross-sectional surveys and longitudinal cohorts that provided data on time-of-day of energy intake. In the identified studies, a wide variation in time-of-day of energy intake was observed, with patterns of energy distribution varying greatly by country and geographical area. In relation to obesity, eight cross-sectional surveys and two longitudinal cohorts were identified. The association between time-of-day of energy intake and obesity varied widely, with several studies reporting a positive link between evening energy intake and obesity. In conclusion, the current review summarises global trends in time-of-day of energy intake. The large variations across countries and global regions could have important implications to health, emphasising the need to understand the socio-environmental factors guiding such differences in eating patterns. Evidence of the association between time-of-day of energy intake and BMI also varied. Further larger scale collaborations between various countries and regions are needed to sum data from existing surveys and cohorts, and guide our understanding of the role of chrono-nutrition in health.
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Misalignment between the sleep-awake, fasting-feeding cycles, and the light-dark cycle disrupts natural oscillations of glucose, lipid metabolism, and blood pressure, eventually increasing risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
“The resulting misalignment between the sleep-awake, fasting-feeding cycles, and the light-dark cycle subsequently disrupts the natural oscillations of physiologic processes such as glucose, lipid metabolism, and blood pressure, eventually manifesting itself as heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (1–4).”
From Chronotype: Implications for Epidemiologic Studies on Chrono-Nutrition and Cardiometabolic Health (2019) · cites this paper as [1]
Studies have shown that underreporters on one occasion were likely to be an underreporter on other occasions.
“Studies have shown that underreporters on one occasion were likely to be an underreporter on other occasions (71) , therefore including dietary misreporting the analyses of meal regularity and any health outcome seems essential.”
From Meal irregularity and cardiometabolic consequences: results from observational and intervention studies (2016) · cites this paper as [71]
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- Authors
- Almoosawi, S., Vingeliene, S., Karagounis, L. G., & Pot, G. K.
- Affiliations
- Nestlé (Switzerland) (CH)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- University of Thessaly (GR)
- King's College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Almoosawi, S.
- Venue
- Proceedings of The Nutrition Society
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2016-06-22
- Volume
- 75
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 487-500
- ISSN
- 0029-6651 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-2719
- OpenAlex
- W2467658236
- Cited by
- 218
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 4
- FWCI
- 1.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Proceedings of The Nutrition Society (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Thessaly Institutional Repository (University of Thessaly) (submittedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Dietary Effects on Health
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- chrononutrition, circadian rhythm, obesity, body mass index, dietary habits, socio-environmental factors
- MeSH terms
- Energy Intake, Circadian Rhythm, Feeding Behavior, Humans, Obesity, Body Mass Index
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