Abstract
Chrono-nutrition is an emerging research field in nutritional epidemiology that encompasses three dimensions of eating behaviour: timing, frequency, and regularity of food intake. To date, few studies have investigated how an individual’s circadian typology, i.e. one’s chronotype, affects the association between chrono-nutrition and cardiometabolic health. This review sets the directions for future research by providing a narrative overview of recent epidemiological research on chronotype, its determinants and its association with dietary intake and cardiometabolic health. Limited research was found of the association between chronotype and dietary intake in infants, children and older adults. Moreover, most of the evidence in adolescents and adults was restricted to cross-sectional surveys with few longitudinal cohorts simultaneously collecting data on chronotype and dietary intake. There was gap in research concerning the association between chronotype and the three dimensions of chrono-nutrition. Whether chronotype modifies the association between diet and cardiometabolic health outcomes remains to be elucidated. In conclusion, further research is required to understand the interplay between chronotype, chrono-nutrition and cardiometabolic health outcomes.