Science of eating time: A novel chronophysiological approach to optimize glucose-insulin dynamics and health

Abstract

Timing of eating is a life strategy that requires special considerations in healthy nutritional programs. Human body tolerates less glucose as evening begins, mainly because glucose is demanded most during more active times or daytime. A recommendation is being developed to avoid large night meals to help reduce risks of visceral adiposity, type-2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular issues. Optimal understanding of physiology in any given species requires optimal understanding of comparative animal-human physiology. Optimal animal physiology is understood with optimal perception of ruminant physiology with its unique complex systems biology. Thus, ruminants as irreplaceable human food producers are metabolically and economically suitable models to study cell, organ and whole body physiology. Evening vs. morning feeding of lactating cows increases eating rate, postprandial levels of rumen and peripheral metabolism, and milk and meat production. External cues and internal physiology may thus be synchronized to optimize production and health. Effective education will enable the public to be adequately cognizant of time of eating as a feasible strategy for the success of nutritional programs in optimizing health status.