Most of us associate the term “circadian rhythm” with the internal clocks that regulate when we go to sleep and wake up. In fact, your whole body operates on an internal clock. For example, during the day, your pancreas increases its production of insulin, which controls blood sugar levels, then slows it down at night. Similarly, your gut’s “clock” regulates the daily ebb and flow of enzymes, the absorption of nutrients and the removal of waste. Even the bacteria that comprise your gut microbiome operate on a daily rhythm. It turns out that daily rhythms are programmed in our DNA, such that in every organ, thousands of genes switch on and off at roughly the same time every day.
According to a growing body of research, our bodies do best when our eating patterns align with our circadian rhythms. Satchin Panda, a professor at the Salk Institute and an expert on circadian rhythms, argues that people improve their metabolic health when they eat their meals in a daily 8- to 10-hour window, taking their first bite of food in the morning and their last bite early in the evening. Researchers also recommend that you eat a big breakfast and small dinner. That’s because your blood sugar control is best in the morning and at its worst in the evening. You also burn more calories and digest food more efficiently in the morning.
Except for the big breakfast, this “time restricted feeding,” as it’s called, is easy for me. But what about people, such as night owls, whose circadian rhythm seems to be different? I think the researchers have more work to do.
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