Nourishing the Clock: Metabolic and Nutritional Influences on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

Diet, metabolism, sleep, and circadian rhythms are closely interconnected biological systems that shape health across the lifespan. Research in chrononutrition has shown that the timing, composition, and regularity of food intake can influence peripheral circadian clocks, metabolic signalling, energy balance, and sleep quality. Conversely, insufficient or mistimed sleep and circadian misalignment—including those associated with shift work, irregular schedules, and social jet lag—can disrupt glucose regulation, appetite control, endocrine function, and cardiovascular health. Recent studies have begun to clarify the mechanisms linking feeding–fasting cycles with central and peripheral clock systems, while clinical and population-based research has highlighted associations between circadian disruption, altered dietary patterns, obesity, diabetes, and sleep disorders. However, findings remain heterogeneous, and important questions persist regarding individual variability, the relative contributions of meal timing and dietary composition, and the translation of experimental evidence into effective interventions. Progress requires closer integration among chronobiology, sleep medicine, nutrition science, metabolic physiology, and clinical research.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of how nutrition, meal timing, metabolism, sleep, and circadian rhythms interact in health and disease. It will examine how the timing and composition of food intake influence circadian regulation, metabolic pathways, sleep outcomes, and physiological resilience, as well as how sleep loss and circadian disruption alter appetite, dietary behaviour, and metabolic health. Contributions may also help identify mechanisms, biomarkers, and intervention strategies relevant to prevention and treatment. By bringing together mechanistic, translational, epidemiological, and clinical perspectives, this Research Topic seeks to address unresolved questions, evaluate emerging chrononutrition approaches, and define priorities for future research.To gather further insights into the biological, behavioural, and clinical relationships among nutrition, metabolism, sleep, and circadian rhythms, this Research Topic will focus on studies in humans, experimental models, and cellular systems, while recognising the limitations of translating findings across these settings. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Meal timing, feeding–fasting cycles, and circadian entrainment• Dietary composition, nutrients, and peripheral clock function• Metabolic pathways linking nutrition with sleep and circadian regulation• Sleep duration, sleep quality, and dietary behavior• Circadian misalignment, shift work, and social jet lag• Chrono nutrition in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions• Interactions between appetite-regulating hormones, metabolism, and the circadian system• Time-restricted eating, fasting, and other chrono nutrition interventions• Personalized nutrition and individual differences in circadian and metabolic responses• Biomarkers, omics approaches, and novel methods for assessing circadian and nutritional timing• Clinical and public-health applications of chrono nutritionWe welcome original research papers, narrative and systematic reviews, meta-analyses, opinion articles, and commentaries that contribute to understanding the interactions among nutrition, metabolism, sleep, and circadian rhythms. Studies using in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, and human experimental approaches are encouraged, as are epidemiological studies, observational cohorts, and clinical trials. Submissions may address fundamental mechanisms, individual variability, biomarkers and methodological advances, and the development and evaluation of nutritional, behavioural, and chronobiological interventions. We particularly encourage multidisciplinary contributions spanning chronobiology, nutrition, metabolism, sleep science, and clinical medicine, with attention to translating findings across experimental and human settings. Collectively, these contributions should help clarify causal relationships and advance the application of chrononutrition to the prevention and management of metabolic, sleep, and circadian disorders.This is Volume II of a series of Research Topics, From Nutrients to Nightfall: How Metabolism and Nutrition Interact with Sleep and the Circadian Clock Topic editors: Ronan Lordan, Omar Ramos-Lopez Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86798/nourishing-the-clock-metabolic-and-nutritional-influences-on-sleep-and-circadian-rhythms