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Nutrients
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Impact of Circadian Rhythms and Dietary Patterns on Human Health
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Impact of Circadian Rhythms and Dietary Patterns on Human Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Neuro Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 1438

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Matt Ulgherait

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Nutrition, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Interests: circadian rhythm; time-restricted eating; TRE; intermittent fasting; IF; insulin signaling; mTOR; obesity; shift work; diabetes; microbiome; nutrient signaling; sleep; cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite the submission of abstracts exploring the profound effects of circadian rhythms and dietary interventions on metabolic, systemic, and population health. The interplay between biological timing and eating behaviors—such as time-restricted eating (TRE) and intermittent fasting (IF)—is an emerging frontier in disease prevention and performance optimization.

We encourage contributions involving patient-based studies that investigate not only molecular and physiological mechanisms—including insulin signaling, mTOR activity, and nutrient sensing—but also clinical outcomes and population-based impacts. Studies addressing the role of circadian-aligned eating in chronic diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, cancer, and sleep disorders), in addition to those examining how shift work or circadian disruption alters metabolic and health trajectories, are welcome.

Research spanning clinical trials, epidemiological analyses, and associated biochemical mechanisms is encouraged. Abstracts should highlight novel insights, methodological advances, or translational and public health implications.

Join us in uncovering how aligning feeding patterns with internal clocks can reshape the future of health and disease prevention.

Dr. Matt Ulgherait
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • circadian rhythm
  • time-restricted eating
  • TRE
  • intermittent fasting
  • IF
  • insulin signaling
  • mTOR
  • obesity
  • shift work
  • diabetes
  • microbiome
  • nutrient signaling
  • sleep
  • cancer

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 885 KB  
Article
Health Implications of Shift Work in Airline Pilots and Cabin Crew: A Narrative Review and Pilot Study Findings
by Oliwia Stefańska, Olga Barbarska and Anna Minkiewicz-Zochniak
Nutrients 2025, 17(24), 3906; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17243906 - 13 Dec 2025
Viewed by 447
Abstract
Background: Airline pilots and cabin crew are exposed to multiple occupational stressors, including circadian disruption, irregular meal timing, cabin environment and radiation, which collectively affect sleep, metabolism and overall health. This study aimed to evaluate the health implications of shift work in aviation [...] Read more.
Background: Airline pilots and cabin crew are exposed to multiple occupational stressors, including circadian disruption, irregular meal timing, cabin environment and radiation, which collectively affect sleep, metabolism and overall health. This study aimed to evaluate the health implications of shift work in aviation by combining self-reported experiences with existing scientific evidence. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 101 airline personnel was conducted to assess sleep patterns, fatigue, nutrition-related challenges and health symptoms. The survey findings were integrated with a literature review to contextualize observed health outcomes within known effects of circadian disruption and aviation-related stressors. Results: Sleep disturbances (71%) and fatigue (89%) were the most prevalent symptoms, while 60% of respondents reported weight fluctuations and 50% limited access to nutritious food during duty. Appetite alterations, reduced taste perception and frequent melatonin use indicated behavioral adaptation to circadian misalignment. Among female aircrew (63%), thyroid and reproductive concerns were reported, aligning with documented impacts of radiation exposure and endocrine disruption. The findings correspond with existing evidence linking aviation-related circadian stress to cardiometabolic, endocrine and gastrointestinal imbalance. Conclusions: Shift work and occupational exposures in aviation contribute to significant disturbances in sleep, metabolism and overall health among aircrew. Preventive strategies should integrate fatigue risk management, circadian-aligned scheduling, improved in-flight nutrition and comprehensive occupational health surveillance to safeguard crew well-being and operational safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Circadian Rhythms and Dietary Patterns on Human Health)
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19 pages, 2340 KB  
Article
Day-to-Day Variability in Meal Timing and Its Association with Body Mass Index: A Study Using Data from a Japanese Food-Logging Mobile Application
by Noriko Sato, Hiiro Terasaki, Yu Tahara, Mikiko Michie, Ariko Umezawa and Shigenobu Shibata
Nutrients 2025, 17(22), 3504; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17223504 - 9 Nov 2025
Viewed by 842
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Discrepancies in mealtimes between weekdays and weekends—often referred to as “eating jetlag”—have been linked to a higher body mass index (BMI). However, in modern societies characterized by diverse work patterns, misalignment between mealtimes and the internal circadian rhythm may result not [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Discrepancies in mealtimes between weekdays and weekends—often referred to as “eating jetlag”—have been linked to a higher body mass index (BMI). However, in modern societies characterized by diverse work patterns, misalignment between mealtimes and the internal circadian rhythm may result not only from weekday–weekend differences but also from day-to-day variability. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess and visualize daily mealtime variability over a 1-month period using food log data and to investigate the association between breakfast time irregularity and BMI. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis using food log data (n = 1072; 742 women and 360 men) extracted from a popular Japanese food-logging mobile application. Mealtime irregularity was quantified using composite phase deviation (CPD). Data were stratified by sex and age tertile. Results: Approximately 18% of participants (women and men) exhibited irregular breakfast timing (CPD > 1 h). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that an evening-type chronotype was primarily associated with BMI among younger women, whereas breakfast time irregularity was associated with BMI among older women. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that daily mealtime variability is an additional chrono-nutritional factor associated with BMI. Furthermore, the chrono-nutritional factors most strongly associated with BMI may differ by age. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Circadian Rhythms and Dietary Patterns on Human Health)
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