Molecular Nutrition Research Leveraging Chronobiology to Prevent Lifestyle-Related Diseases

(JSNFS Award for Excellence in Research (2023))

Abstract

Nutritional science has primarily studied ‘what and how much to eat.’ On the other hand, even before nutritional sufficiency is achieved, it has long been a human belief that ‘a regular diet is the key to health.’ Every cell in the body has its own clock system, and the mechanism by which the biological clock is controlled by clock genes has been clarified. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the body clock can be synchronized by meals, and that the timing of meal intake controls many metabolic rhythms. It has also been shown that irregular eating habits can induce abnormalities of lipid metabolism, leading to obesity and metabolic syndrome. The body clock determined by meal timing can be considered part of an individual's ‘constitution.’ By considering various biological rhythms, including the circadian rhythm, as a ‘rhythmome,’ it becomes possible to obtain a foundational overview for personalized nutrition, termed ‘precision nutrition.’ An understanding of chrononutrition is expected to play a major role in prevention of metabolic syndrome, lifestyle-related diseases, and locomotive syndrome.