Time for food: The intimate interplay between nutrition, metabolism, and the circadian clock

This 2015 article covers the important relationship between nutrition, the circadian clock, and homeostasis (any process within organisms that helps preserve stable conditions necessary for survival). The circadian clock essentially allows the body to maintain endocrine and metabolic pathways required for organism homeostasis. This clock can adapt to changes in the surrounding environment including the daily light-dark cycles, and different patterns in food intake. But it is affected by diet, and nutritional challenges can reprogram the clock. There is also evidence that time-specific food consumption can considerably influence physiology. The microbiota, which is the community of microorganisms within an organism, appears to be deeply involved in this connection between nutrition and the circadian clock. Moreover, the circadian clock seems to play a critical role in the relationship between nutrition and homeostasis. This may raise awareness of the beneficial impact of chrono-nutrition (the timing of meals).
[NPID: chrononutrition, circadian clock, homeostasis, nutrition, time-specific eating]

Year: 2015

Reference: Asher, G., & Sassone-Corsi, P. (2015). Time for food: the intimate interplay between nutrition, metabolism, and the circadian clock. Cell, 161(1), 84–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.03.015