Chrononutrition and meal patterns

Circadian rhythms (endogenous biological processes in the body that recur with a periodicity of 24 hours) are known to be important for the coordination of a variety of physiological processes, such as body temperature and blood pressure, and play a role in our eating, appetite regulation, digestion and metabolism. The nutrient content of our food, our meal patterns, light exposure and physical activity affect these circadian rhythms. The research on how eating habits and meal patterns are linked to health is called chrononutrition. Therefore, eating a varied and nutritious diet is not only important for health, but also the timing of eating, how often and how regularly we eat, and how energy is distributed throughout the day.

A PhD project is currently underway at IKV with the aim of mapping meal patterns and time of day for energy, nutrient and food consumption in different population groups using data from national and representative studies. Furthermore, the project will study how this relates to BMI, diet quality, nutritional status and risk markers for cardiovascular disease. The project is a collaboration with the Swedish National Food Agency.