How Chrono-Nutrition and the Microbiome Shape Metabolic and Mental Health
The convergence of chrono-nutrition, circadian rhythm, and gut microbiota is redefining our understanding of metabolic health. Recent research reveals that when we eat may be just as important as what we eat, with implications spanning hypertension, obesity, sarcopenia, mental illness and chronic metabolic disorders.
In working with clients who live with both mental and physical illness, we often notice patterns that fall outside the focus of standard care. One of the most underrecognized is circadian disruption and its relationship to chrononutrition. Chrononutrition refers to the dynamic relationship between the timing of food intake and nutrient sufficiency, and how these factors together shape circadian rhythm—an underlying regulatory system that plays a central role in mental health.
Chrononutrition offers practical tools for restoring alignment within this system. Through targeted food choices and intentional meal timing—integrated with light exposure and sleep–wake interventions—it is possible to help reset internal clocks and support recovery. In my book, Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health, I explore these and other practical nutritional and behavioral strategies that can help our clients rebalance circadian rhythm and strengthen mental health resilience.
A growing body of research is now examining these relationships in greater detail. While much of this work focuses on metabolic and physiological outcomes, the systems involved—circadian regulation, gut microbiota signaling, inflammation, and hormonal rhythms—are deeply intertwined with mental health. Below, I review six recent papers that explore chrononutrition from complementary angles, spanning nutrigenomics, epigenetics, microbiome dynamics, aging, and cardiometabolic disease.
The first paper reviews the emerging field of chrononutrition through a personalized nutrition lens. The authors describe how modern lifestyle factors—artificial light exposure, shift work, jet lag, and continuous access to energy-dense foods—disrupt circadian rhythm and metabolic regulation.
The second paper expands this perspective by focusing on epigenomic mechanisms linking circadian rhythm, nutrition, and the gut microbiota. The authors describe how the timing of food intake influences gene expression, DNA methylation, repair processes, and non-coding RNA activity—processes central to metabolic and immune regulation.
The third paper examines the bidirectional relationship between circadian rhythm and gut microbial rhythms. Microbial composition and function fluctuate across the day in response to light–dark cycles, diet composition, and feeding patterns. In turn, microbial metabolites influence host clock gene expression, lipid metabolism, and energy homeostasis. Disruptions in this coordinated system are associated with metabolic disease, suggesting that circadian misalignment may alter microbial signaling pathways that also affect inflammation, neurotransmitter precursors, and stress physiology—key factors in mental health conditions.
The fourth paper focuses on aging and muscle health, exploring how circadian disruption contributes to sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is a medical condition characterized by the loss of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function, most commonly associated with aging, but it can also occur due to illness, inactivity, or poor nutrition. Evidence from animal models shows that mutations or deletions in clock genes accelerate aging phenotypes, including muscle loss and reduced survival.
The fifth paper examines chrononutrition as a strategy for preventing and managing obesity and type 2 diabetes. The authors argue that traditional dietary recommendations often fail because they overlook the importance of feeding–fasting rhythms.
The sixth paper explores chrononutrition in the context of hypertension. The authors describe how blood pressure follows circadian rhythm, regulated by renal and vascular clock mechanisms. Emerging evidence suggests that time-restricted eating and circadian-aligned meal timing support blood pressure regulation.
Research has its own vocabulary. To help you decipher research, I created a Glossary to ease the way. You may access it here: Research Glossary
Referenced Research Publications
International journal of molecular sciences 2023, enero 29 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032571
Chrono-Nutrition: Circadian Rhythm and Personalized Nutrition
Abstract
The human circadian system has a period of approximately 24 h and studies on the consequences of "chornodisruption" have greatly expanded. Lifestyle and environmental factors of modern societies (i.e., artificial lighting, jetlag, shift work, and around-the-clock access to energy-dense food) can induce disruptions of the circadian system and thereby adversely affect individual health. Growing evidence demonstrates a complex reciprocal relationship between metabolism and the circadian system, in which perturbations in one system affect the other one. From a nutritional genomics perspective, genetic variants in clock genes can both influence metabolic health and modify the individual response to diet. Moreover, an interplay between the circadian rhythm, gut microbiome, and epigenome has been demonstrated, with the diet in turn able to modulate this complex link suggesting a remarkable plasticity of the underlying mechanisms. In this view, the study of the impact of the timing of eating by matching elements from nutritional research with chrono-biology, that is, chrono-nutrition, could have significant implications for personalized nutrition in terms of reducing the prevalence and burden of chronic diseases. This review provides an overview of the current evidence on the interactions between the circadian system and nutrition, highlighting how this link could in turn influence the epigenome and microbiome. In addition, possible nutritional strategies to manage circadian-aligned feeding are suggested.
Reference
Franzago, M., Alessandrelli, E., Notarangelo, S., Stuppia, L., & Vitacolonna, E. (2023). Chrono-Nutrition: Circadian Rhythm and Personalized Nutrition. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(3), 2571. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032571
Biological Rhythms, Chrono-Nutrition, and Gut Microbiota: Epigenomics Insights for Precision Nutrition and Metabolic Health
Abstract
Circadian rhythms integrate a finely tuned network of biological processes recurring every 24 h, intricately coordinating the machinery of all cells. This self-regulating system plays a pivotal role in synchronizing physiological and behavioral responses, ensuring an adaptive metabolism within the environmental milieu, including dietary and physical activity habits. The systemic integration of circadian homeostasis involves a balance of biological rhythms, each synchronically linked to the central circadian clock. Central to this orchestration is the temporal dimension of nutrient and food intake, an aspect closely interwoven with the neuroendocrine circuit, gut physiology, and resident microbiota. Indeed, the timing of meals exerts a profound influence on cell cycle regulation through genomic and epigenetic processes, particularly those involving gene expression, DNA methylation and repair, and non-coding RNA activity. These (epi)genomic interactions involve a dynamic interface between circadian rhythms, nutrition, and the gut microbiota, shaping the metabolic and immune landscape of the host. This research endeavors to illustrate the intricate (epi)genetic interplay that modulates the synchronization of circadian rhythms, nutritional signaling, and the gut microbiota, unravelling the repercussions on metabolic health while suggesting the potential benefits of feed circadian realignment as a non-invasive therapeutic strategy for systemic metabolic modulation via gut microbiota. This exploration delves into the interconnections that underscore the significance of temporal eating patterns, offering insights regarding circadian rhythms, gut microbiota, and chrono-nutrition interactions with (epi)genomic phenomena, thereby influencing diverse aspects of metabolic, well-being, and quality of life outcomes.
Reference
de Oliveira Melo, N. C., Cuevas-Sierra, A., Souto, V. F., & Martínez, J. A. (2024). Biological Rhythms, Chrono-Nutrition, and Gut Microbiota: Epigenomics Insights for Precision Nutrition and Metabolic Health. Biomolecules, 14(5), 559. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14050559
Interactions between Gut Microbiota, Host Circadian Rhythms, and Metabolic Diseases
Abstract
The circadian rhythm arises endogenously from genetically encoded molecular clocks, wherein the components collaborate to induce cyclic fluctuations, occurring approximately every 24 h. The rhythms synchronize biological processes with regular and predictable environmental patterns to guarantee the host metabolism and energy homeostasis function and well-being. Disruptions to circadian rhythms are widely associated with metabolic disorders. Notably, microbial rhythms are influenced by both the host's intrinsic circadian clock and external rhythmic factors (i.e., light-dark cycle, diet patterns, and diet composition), which affect the structure of microbial communities and metabolic functions. Moreover, microbiota and the metabolites also reciprocally influence host rhythms, potentially impacting host metabolic function. This review aimed to explore the bidirectional interactions between the circadian clock, factors influencing host-microbial circadian rhythms, and the effects on lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis.
Reference
Zhang, M., Zhou, C., Li, X., Li, H., Han, Q., Chen, Z., Tang, W., & Yin, J. (2025). Interactions between Gut Microbiota, Host Circadian Rhythms, and Metabolic Diseases. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 16(6), 100416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100416
Chrono-Nutrition Has Potential in Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss and Dysfunction
Abstract
The mammalian circadian clock systems regulate the day-night variation of several physiological functions such as the sleep/wake cycle and core body temperature. Disturbance in the circadian clock due to shiftwork and chronic jetlag is related to the risk of several disorders such as metabolic syndrome and cancer. Recently, it has been thought that shiftwork increases the risk of sarcopenia which is characterized by age-related decline of muscle mass and its dysfunctions including muscle strength and/or physical performance. First, we summarize the association between circadian rhythm and the occurrence of sarcopenia and discuss its mechanistic insight by focusing on the muscle function and molecular clock gene in knockout or mutant mice. The clock gene knockout or mutant mice showed early aging phenotypes, including low survival rate and muscle loss. It suggests that improvement in the disturbance of the circadian clock plays an important role in the aging process of healthy muscles. Nutritional intake has the potential to augment muscle growth and entrain the peripheral clock. Second, we discuss the potential of chrono-nutrition in preventing aging-related muscle loss and dysfunction. We also focus on the effects of time-restricted feeding (TRF) and the distribution of protein intake across three meals.
Reference
Aoyama, S., Nakahata, Y., & Shinohara, K. (2021). Chrono-Nutrition Has Potential in Preventing Age-Related Muscle Loss and Dysfunction. Frontiers in neuroscience, 15, 659883. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.659883
Chrono-nutrition for the prevention and treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes: from mice to men
Abstract
The proliferation in the rate of diagnosis of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus continues unabated, with current recommendations for primary lifestyle changes (i.e. modification to dietary patterns) having a limited impact in reducing the incidence of these metabolic diseases. Part of the reason for the failure to alter nutritional practices is that current dietary recommendations may be unrealistic for the majority of adults. Indeed, round-the-clock access to energy-dense, nutrient-poor food makes long-term changes to dietary habits challenging. Hence, there is urgent need for innovations in the delivery of evidence-based diet interventions to rescue some of the deleterious effects on circadian biology induced by our modern-day lifestyle. With the growing appreciation that the duration over which food is consumed during a day has profound effects on numerous physiological and metabolic processes, we discuss dietary protocols that modify the timing of food intake to deliberately alter the feeding-fasting cycle. Such chrono-nutrition functions to optimise metabolism by timing nutrient intake to the acrophases of metabolic rhythms to improve whole-body insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control, and thereby positively impact metabolic health. Graphical abstract.
Reference
Hawley, J. A., Sassone-Corsi, P., & Zierath, J. R. (2020). Chrono-nutrition for the prevention and treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes: from mice to men. Diabetologia, 63(11), 2253–2259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-020-05238-w
Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews January 2024 DOI: 10.1002/dmrr.3760
Chrono-nutrition for hypertension
Abstract
Despite the advancement in blood pressure (BP) lowering medications, uncontrolled hypertension persists, underscoring a stagnation of effective clinical strategies. Novel and effective lifestyle therapies are needed to prevent and manage hypertension to mitigate future progression to cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases. Chrono-nutrition, aligning the timing of eating with environmental cues and internal biological clocks, has emerged as a potential strategy to improve BP in high-risk populations. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the circadian physiology of BP with an emphasis on renal and vascular circadian biology. The potential of Chrono-nutrition as a lifestyle intervention for hypertension is discussed and current evidence for the efficacy of time-restricted eating is presented.
Reference
Bohmke, N. J., Dixon, D. L., & Kirkman, D. L. (2024). Chrono-nutrition for hypertension. Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews, 40(1), e3760. https://doi.org/10.1002/dmrr.3760
Become a Certified Integrative Medicine Practitioner
¡Hola! Sólo queríamos informarte de que nuestro sitio web (como la mayoría de los demás sitios) almacena cookies en tu computadora. No son galletas de verdad, que te puedas comer. Eso sería fabuloso, pero aún no tenemos esa tecnología. Estas cookies te ofrecen la mejor experiencia posible en nuestro sitio web, proporcionan funciones de redes sociales y nos ayudan a analizar nuestro tráfico. La información que compartimos con Google Analytics es anónima, para proteger tu privacidad. Al hacer clic en Aceptar, das tu consentimiento para que utilicemos cookies en este dispositivo de acuerdo con nuestra
Política de privacidad, a menos que hayas desactivado las cookies en la configuración de tu navegador. No vendemos ni intercambiamos tu información personal.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Solicitantes que no tienen licencia
En determinadas circunstancias, consideraremos la posibilidad de proporcionar la certificación a los graduados del curso que estén en proceso de obtener su licencia o que tengan credenciales alternativas.
Por ejemplo, puedes solicitarla si eres un clínico que está completando los requisitos para obtener la licencia haciendo prácticas, si eres un consejero de salud certificado, un educador en diabetes, un enfermero u otro profesional de la salud y la parasalud, o si ejerces a nivel internacional con credenciales diferentes.
Consideramos estas solicitudes de certificación caso por caso.
La certificación no garantiza que un programa o su examen certifiquen la competencia de un candidato. Nada de este programa o de su examen pretende sustituir, anular o entrar en conflicto con los requisitos de licencia de los profesionales de la salud y sus requisitos para ejercer en su estado de residencia y especialidad.
