Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T12:43:24.717Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Chronobiology and meal times: internal and external factors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Jim Waterhouse ,
D. Minors ,
G. Atkinson  and
D. Benton
Jim Waterhouse
Affiliation:
School of Human Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool
D. Minors
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester
G. Atkinson
Affiliation:
School of Human Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool
D. Benton
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Although homeostatic mechanisms remain of utmost importance, rhythmic changes are present also. The main ones have a period of 24 h (circadian) or about 2–3 h (ultradian). Circadian rhythms are derived from a body clock, found in the base of the brain, and from the pattern of our sleep wake cycle, including activity and meal times. These rhythms promote the regular changes between an active wake period and a recuperative sleep period. Ultradian rhythms are also widespread and reflect external (lifestyle) and internal factors. The internal factors include biochemical need and some sort of oscillator; but details of how many oscillators, and exactly where they are, remain to be established. Food intake, appetite, digestion and metabolism have been shown to illustrate these principles. Moreover, these principles become important when special circumstances exist as far as meal times are concerned; the particular diffculties of night workers is a good example.

Keywords

Eating behaviourRhythmicity of food intake
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 77 , Issue S1 , April 1997 , pp. S29 - S38
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1997

References

REFERENCES

Aschoff, J., von Goetz, C., Wildgruber, C. & Wever, R. (1986). Meal timing in humans during isolation without time cues. Journal of Biological Rhythms 1, 151–162.Google Scholar
Barlow, A., Hinder, R. & DeMeester, T. (1994). Twenty-four-hour gastric luminal pH in normal subjects: influence of probe position, food, posture, and duodenal reflux. American Journal of Hypertension 90, 1186–1187.Google Scholar
Bernstein, I., Zimmerman, J., Czeisler, C. & Weitzman, E. (1981). Meal patterns in ‘free-running’ humans. Physiology and Behavior 27, 621–623.Google Scholar
Cella, L., Van Cauter, E. & Schveller, D. (1995). Effect of meal timing in diurnal rhythm of human cholesterol synthesis. American Journal of Physiology 269, E878–E883.Google ScholarPubMed
Czeisler, C., Richardson, G., Zimmerman, J., Moore-Ede, M. & Weitzman, E. (1981). Entrainment of human circadian rhythms by light-dark cycles: a reassessment. Photochemistry and Photobiology 34, 239–247.Google Scholar
Dijk, D.-J. & Czeisler, C. (1995). Contribution of the circadian pacemaker and the sleep homeostat to sleep propensity, sleep structure, and electroencephalographic slow waves, and spindle activity in humans. Journal of Neuroscience 15, 3526–3538.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Editorial (1984). Pulsatile control of reproduction. Lancet ii, 382–383.Google Scholar
Goo, R., Moore, J., Greenberg, E. & Alazraki, N. (1987). Circadian variation in gastric emptying of meals in humans. Gastroenterology 93, 515–518.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hellbrugge, T. (1973). Ultradian rhythms in childhood. International Journal of Chronobiology 1, 331–348.Google Scholar
Honnebier, M., Swaab, D. & Mimiran, M. (1989). Diurnal rhythmicity during early human development. In Development of Circadian Rhythmicity and Photoperiodism in Mammals, pp. 221–244 [Reppert, S. editor]. New York: Perinatology Press.Google Scholar
Jorde, R. & Burhol, P. (1985). Review. Diurnal profiles of gastrointestinal regulatory peptides. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 20, 1–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jorde, R., Jenssen, T. & Burhol, P. (1987). Cyclic patterns of plasma pancreatic polypeptide (PP), plasma motilin, serum insulin and plasma gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) in fasting man. Italian Journal of Gastroenterology 19, 10–12.Google Scholar
Khashoggi, R., Madani, K., Ghaznawi, H. & Ali, M. (1993). The effects of Ramadan fasting on body weight. Journal of Islamic Medical Association of North America 25, 44–45.Google Scholar
Kleitman, N. (1982). Basic rest-activity cycle - 22 years later. Sleep 5, 311–317.Google Scholar
Krauchi, K., Nussbaum, P. & Wirz-Justice, A. (1990). Consumption of sweets and caffeine in the night shift: relation to fatigue. In Sleep '90, pp. 62–64 [Home, J. editor]. Bochum: Pontenagel Press.Google Scholar
Kumar, D. (1994). Sleep as a modulator of human gastrointestinal motility. Gastroenterology 107, 1548–1550.Google Scholar
Lavie, P. (1980). Ultradian rhythmicity (circa 90 min) in physiologic processes - evidence for multioscillatory phenomena. Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research 11, 171–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lavie, P. & Kripke, D. (1981). Mini review. Ultradian circa 1·5 hour rhythms: a multioscillatory system. Life Science 29, 2445–2450.Google Scholar
Leathwood, P. (1989). Circadian rhythms of plasma amino acids, brain neurotransmitters and behaviour. In Biological Rhythms in Clinical Practice, pp. 136–159 [Arendt, J., Minors, D. and Waterhouse, J. editors]. London: John Wright.Google Scholar
Lewy, A., Ahmed, S., Jackson, J. & Sack, R. (1992). Melatonin shifts circadian rhythms according to a phaseresponse curve. Chronobiology International 9, 380–392.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lloyd, D. & Kippert, F. (1993). Intracellular co-ordination by the ultradian clock. Cell Biology International Reports 17, 1047–1052.Google Scholar
Maeda, K.-I., Tsukamura, H., Ohkura, S., Kawakami, S., Nagabukuro, H. & Yokoyama, A. (1995). The LHRH pulse generator: a mediobasal hypothalamic location. Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews 19, 427–437.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mejean, L., Bicakova-Rocher, A., Kolopp, M., Villanme, C., Levi, F., Debry, G., Reinberg, A. & Drouin, P. (1988). Circadian and ultradian rhythms in blood glucose and plasma insulin of healthy adults. Chronobiology International 5, 227–236.Google Scholar
Minors, D., Rabbitt, P., Worthington, H. & Waterhouse, J. (1989). Variation in meals and sleep-activity patterns in aged subjects: its relevance to circadian rhythm studies. Chronobiology International 6, 139–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Minors, D. & Waterhouse, J. (1981). Circadian Rhythms and the Human. Bristol: John Wright.Google Scholar
Moore, R. (1992). The organisation of the human timing system. Progress in Brain Research 93, 101–117.Google Scholar
Moore-Ede, M. (1986). Physiology of the circadian timing system: predictive versus reactive homeostasis. American Journal of Physiology 250, R737–R752.Google ScholarPubMed
Moore-Ede, M., Fuller, F. & Sulzman, C. (1982). The Clocks that Time Us. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.Google Scholar
Niedhammer, I., Lert, F. & Marne, M. (1996). Prevalence of overweight and weight gain in relation to night work in a nurses cohort. International Journal of Obesity 20, 625–633.Google Scholar
Nikolova, N., Handjiev, S. & Angelova, K. (1990). Nutrition of night and shiftworkers in transports. In Shiftwork: Health, Sleep and Performance, pp. 538–547 [Costa, G., Cesana, G., Kogi, K. and Wedderburn, A. editors]. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Owens, D., Macdonald, I., Benton, D., Sytnik, N., Tucker, P. & Folkard, S. (1997). A preliminary investigation into individual differences in the circadian variation of meal tolerance: effects on mood and hunger. Chronobiology International (In the Press).Google Scholar
Reilly, T. (1990). Human circadian rhythms and exercise. Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering 18, 165–180.Google ScholarPubMed
Reinberg, A., Migraine, C. & Apfelbaum, M. (1979). Circadian and ultradian rhythms in the eating behaviour and nutrient intake of oil refinery operators (Study 2). Chronobiologia Suppl. 1, 89–102.Google Scholar
Reppert, S. (editor) (1989). Development of Circadian Rhythmicity and Phoroperiodism in Mammals. New York: Perinatology Press.Google Scholar
Reppert, S., Weaver, D., Rivkees, S. & Stupa, E. (1988). Putative melatonin receptors in a human biological clock. Science 242, 78–81.Google Scholar
Rutenfranz, J., Colquhoun, P. & Knauth, P. (1977). Biomedical and psychosocial aspects of shift work. A review. Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health 3, 165–182.Google Scholar
Sanders, S. & Moore, J. (1992). Gastrointestinal chronopharmacology: physiology, pharmacology and therapeutic implications. Pharmacology and Therapeutics 54, 1–15.Google Scholar
Sensi, S. (1974). Some aspects of circadian variations of carbohydrate metabolism and related hormones in man. Chronobiologia 1, 396–404.Google Scholar
Stagner, J., Samols, E. & Weir, G. (1980). Sustained oscillations of insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin from the isolated canine pancreas during exposure to a constant glucose concentration. Journal of Clinical Investigation 65, 939–942.Google Scholar
Tarquini, B., Lombardi, P., Pernice, L., Cariddi, A., Checchi, M., Masi, L. & Andreoli, F. (1987). Intragastric pH continuously monitored in health and in gastric diseases: chronobiologic assessment. In Advances in Chronobiology A, pp. 379–387 [Haus, E., Halberg, F. and Rietveld, W. editors]. New York: Arthur Liss Associates.Google Scholar
Van Cauter, E., Blackman, J., Roland, D., Spire, J.-D., Refetoff, S. & Polonsky, K. (1991). Modulation of glucose regulation and insulin secretion by circadian rhythmicity and sleep. Jounal of Clinical Investigation 88, 934–942.Google Scholar
Van Cauter, E., Desir, D., Decoster, C., Fery, F. & Balasse, E. (1989). Nocturnal decrease in glucose tolerance during constant glucose infusion. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 69, 604–611.Google Scholar
Veldhuis, J. (1994). Pulsatile hormone release as a window into the brain's control of the anterior pituitary gland in health and disease: implications and consequences of pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion. Endocrinologist 4, 454–469.Google Scholar
Waterhouse, J., Folkard, S. & Minors, D. (1992). Shifhuork, Health and Safety. An Overview of the Scientific Literature 1978–1990. London: H. M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Weinert, D., Sitka, U., Minors, D. & Waterhouse, J. (1994). The development of circadian rhythmicity in neonates. Early Human Development 36, 117–126.Google Scholar
Wever, R. (1979). The Circadian System of Man. Berlin: Springer Verlag.Google Scholar
Wolever, T. & Bolognesi, C. (1996). Time of day influences relative glycaemic effect of foods. Nutrition Research 16, 381–384.Google Scholar