DOI: 10.1002/alz.077695 ISSN: 1552-5260

Chronobiology of nutrition and cognitive function

Nikolaos Scarmeas, Mary Yannakoulia
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Geriatrics and Gerontology
  • Neurology (clinical)
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Health Policy
  • Epidemiology

Abstract

Current literature on the association between nutrition and cognitive function has focused mainly on total daily dietary intake of nutrients, foods or dietary patterns, while there has been much less focus on the timing of intake, i.e. the distribution of intake throughout the day and/or during specific eating occasions. Meal timing interferes with the circadian clocks and it has been previously linked with several health outcomes, including obesity and glycemic control. At the same time, there are well established circadian rhythms in cognitive performance in humans, with worse performance in the early morning and late evening and best performance somewhere in the middle of the daytime.

Literature of the chronobiology of nutrition (chrononutrition) in relation to cognitive function and decline is extremely limited and to a certain extend conflicting. For example, breakfast consumption has been associated with decreased odds of having Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in some studies, while, according to other studies, individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and MCI tend to prefer early (rather than late) day times for food intake. Overall, there is very little research on the effect on cognitive function of time of day or energy content or nutrient distribution of the consumed meals. Furthermore, even though certain biomarkers of neurodegeneration are known to exhibit circadian properties, their associations with aspects of chrononutrition have not been explored.

In conclusion, there is growing interest in the field of chrononutrition, an emerging area of investigation that is revealing important insights into how the timing of meals and overall eating patterns can impact cognitive function in humans. Part of the reason that this field is still in its infancy is that not all methods of dietary assessment are suitable for such analyses: only the laborious and time‐consuming methods of 24h dietary recalls or food records, that collect information on the timing of each eating occasion, allow for the evaluation of intake (nutrient of foods) distribution during the day.

Overall, much more investigational effort is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying potential associations of chrononutrition and cognition and to develop practical recommendations for maintaining cognitive health through dietary interventions.

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