Chrononutrition: eating at the right time

In our quest for a healthy diet, we often focus on what we eat: the quality of food, its nutritional value, the portions. But have we thought about when we eat? Chrononutrition invites us to reconsider our habits by placing meal times at the heart of our metabolic health.

Chrononutrition is a concept developed in the 1980s by biochemistry professor Jean-Robert Rapin and nutritionist doctor Alain Delabos (1…

  • References

  • Historical

  1. Fountain. Alain Delabos, “Following chrono-nutrition means relearning how to eat right side up”. Health alternative. 2018.

  2. Charlot and Zoll. Better respect your internal clock for better health. The Conversation. 2025.

  3. Charlotte et al. Beneficial Effects of Early Time-Restricted Feeding on Metabolic Diseases: Importance of Aligning Food Habits with the Circadian Clock. Nutrients. 2021.

  4. Konstantinidou and Jamshed. Chrononutrition and health. Forehead. Nutr. 2024.

  5. INSEE. Food time in France. Insee Première n°1417. 2012.

  6. Almoosawi et al. Chronotype: Implications for Epidemiologic Studies on Chrono-Nutrition and Cardiometabolic Health. Adv Nutr. 2018.

  7. Longo-Silva et al. Association of largest meal timing and eating frequency with body mass index and obesity. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. 2024.

  8. Palomar-Cros et al. Dietary circadian rhythms and cardiovascular disease risk in the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. Nature Communications. 2023.

  9. My et al. Skipping breakfast is associated with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. 2020.

  10. Yu et al. Effect of skipping breakfast on cardiovascular risk factors: a grade-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies. Front Endocrinol. 2023.

  11. Yoshida et al. Association of night eating habits with metabolic syndrome and its components: a longitudinal study. BMC Public Health. 2018.

  12. Fujiwara et al. Association between dinner-to-bed time and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2005.

  13. Manoogian et al. Time-Restricted Eating in Adults With Metabolic Syndrome. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2024.

  • Current version

    02/11/2026

    Updated by Collectif laNutrition

  • on 02/10/2026

    Publication by Marie-Céline Ray


    Science journalist

Laura
Laura

I'm Laura, the founder of Vegetarians.co.nz and a devoted vegetarian for over a decade, who turned her passion for a plant-based lifestyle into a platform to inspire and guide others. My journey has taught me the importance of nourishing the body with wholesome foods, and through our site, I aim to share this knowledge and help you discover the joy of vegetarian living.

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