Acta Scientific Nutritional Health (ASNH)(ISSN: 2582-1423)

Review Article Volume 10 Issue 3

Chrononutrition and Melatonin – A Comprehensive Review

Gargi Bose*

Department of Nutrition, Ramananda College, Bishnupur, Bankura, West Bengal, India

*Corresponding Author: Gargi Bose, Department of Nutrition, Ramananda College, Bishnupur, Bankura, West Bengal, India.

Received: January 02, 2026; Published: February 18, 2026

Chrononutrition primarily investigates how meal timing influences the human circadian clock. The central circadian clock, as well as the peripheral clocks, regulate the sleep-wake cycle, metabolic processes and energy balance in human body. Melatonin, the pineal hormone is responsible for the maintenance of the circadian clock and plays a crucial role in human metabolism. Disruption of chronobiological regulation of metabolism can potentially give rise to serious consequences and plethora of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This paper explores the intricate interplay between chrononutrition and melatonin and its implications for circadian rhythm regulation and metabolic health.

Keywords: Chrononutrition; Melatonin; Circadian Rhythm; Chronodisruption; Circadian Entrainment

References

  1. Reytor-González Cristina. “Chrononutrition and Energy Balance: How Meal Timing Influences Metabolic Health”. (2024).
  2. Adafer Rym. “Effects of Time-Restricted Eating: A Systematic Review”. Nutrients (2020).
  3. Peters B. “Meal Timing and Its Role in Obesity and Associated Diseases”. Frontiers in Endocrinology (2024).
  4. Simonneaux Valerie and Nadine Ribelayga. “Generation of the Melatonin Endocrine Message”. (2003).
  5. Klein Douglas C. “AANAT: The Timezyme That Generates the Melatonin Rhythm”. (2007).
  6. Klosen P., et al. “Thirty-Seven Years of Melatonin Receptor Research”. (2024).
  7. Schibler Ueli. “A Web of Circadian Pacemakers”. Cell (2002).
  8. Partch Carrie L., et al. “Molecular Architecture of the Mammalian Circadian Clock”. Trends in Biochemical Sciences (2014).
  9. Ko Christopher H and Joseph S Takahashi. “Molecular Components of the Mammalian Circadian Clock”. Human Molecular Genetics (2006).
  10. Ye R., et al. “Dual Modes of CLOCK:BMAL1 Inhibition Mediated by CRY Proteins”. eLife (2014).
  11. Takahashi Joseph S. “Transcriptional Architecture of the Mammalian Circadian Clock”. PNAS (2016).
  12. Liu J., et al. “MT1 and MT2 Melatonin Receptors: Biological and Therapeutic Perspectives”. (2016).
  13. Jockers R., et al. “Melatonin Receptor Heterodimerization and Signaling”. British Journal of Pharmacology (2016).
  14. Brum MCB., et al. “Shift Work and Metabolic Disorders: A Review”. (2015).
  15. Gao Y., et al. “Association between Shift Work and Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis”. (2020).
  16. Bayon V., et al. “Night and Shift Work and Metabolic Syndrome”. BMJ Open (2022).
  17. Scheer F A J L., et al. “Adverse Metabolic Consequences of Circadian Misalignment”. PNAS (2009).
  18. Morris C J., et al. “Influence of Circadian Misalignment on Glucose Tolerance”. (2016).
  19. Mason I C., et al. “Impact of Circadian Disruption on Glucose Metabolism”. (2024).
  20. Stacchiotti A., et al. “Experimental Evidence of Melatonin in NAFLD”. (2019).
  21. Terziev D. “Melatonin’s Therapeutic Effects in NAFLD/NASH Models”. (2023).
  22. Cox KH., et al. “Circadian Clock Gene Transcriptional Architecture”. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology (2019).
  23. Takahashi Joseph S. “Genetics of Mammalian Circadian Rhythms”. (2008).
  24. Damiola Françoise., et al. “Restricted Feeding Uncouples Peripheral Oscillators from the Central Clock”. Genes and Development (2000).
  25. Hatori, Megumi, et al. “Time-Restricted Feeding Prevents Metabolic Disease in Mice”. Cell Metabolism (2012).
  26. Ganguly S., et al. “Regulation of Melatonin Synthesis via AA-NAT and 14-3-3 Proteins”. (2002).
  27. Buonfiglio D., et al. “Absence of Melatonin Leads to Long-Term Leptin Resistance”. (2018).
  28. Qian J., et al. “Influence of Circadian System and Behavior on Glucose Regulation”. (2018).
  29. Guan Q., et al. “Mechanisms of Melatonin in Obesity”. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2021).
  30. Nogueira LFR., et al. “Effect of Exogenous Melatonin on Eating Habits of Female Night Workers”. Nutrients (2022).
  31. Albreiki MS., et al. “Effects of Light at Night and Melatonin on Appetite Hormones”. (2022).
  32. Delpino F M., et al. “Melatonin Supplementation and Anthropometric Indices: A Systematic Review”. (2021).
  33. Vajdi M., et al. “Melatonin Supplementation and Body Composition: A Meta-Analysis”. (2024).
  34. Genario R., et al. “Melatonin Supplementation in Obesity Management”. (2023).
  35. Delpino F M. “Effects of Melatonin Supplementation on Body Weight”. (2021).
  36. Xu L., et al. “Suppression of Obesity by Melatonin Through Increasing Energy Expenditure and Accelerating Lipolysis in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet”. Nutrition Diabetes (2022).
  37. Farias T S M., et al. “Melatonin Supplementation Decreases Hypertrophic Obesity and Improves Lipid Profile in Animal Models”. Frontiers in Endocrinology (2019).
  38. Salagre D., et al. “Melatonin Induces Fat Browning and Increases UCP1 Expression in Adipose Tissue”. Food and Function (2022).
  39. Audinot V., et al. “Molecular Cloning and Pharmacological Characterization of Melatonin Receptors”. (2003).
  40. Xu L., et al. “Melatonin Suppresses Obesity through UCP1 and FGF21”. (2022).
  41. Machado SA., et al. “Browning of White Adipose Tissue and Metabolic Implications”. (2022).
  42. Abe YO., et al. “Rhythmic Bmal1 Transcription Stabilizes the Circadian Clock”. Nature Communications (2022).
  43. Kim M., et al. “Pinealectomy Increases Thermogenesis and Decreases Body Weight Gain in a Rat Model”. Molecular Medicine Reports5 (2020): 4289-4297.
  44. Hu J. “The Effects of Food on Circadian Rhythm: A Review”. (2023).
  45. Flanagan A. “Chrono-nutrition: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Applications”. (2023).
  46. Konstantinidou V. “Chrononutrition and Health”. Frontiers in Nutrition (2024).
  47. Fuad S A. “Chrononutrition: Potential, Challenges, and Application”. (2025).

Citation

Citation: Gargi Bose. “Chrononutrition and Melatonin – A Comprehensive Review". Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 10.3 (2026): 18-22

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Gargi Bose. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.




Metrics

Acceptance rate30%
Acceptance to publication20-30 days
Impact Factor1.316

Indexed In





News and Events


  • Publication Certificate
    Authors will be provided with the Publication Certificate after their successful publication
  • Last Date for submission
    Authors are requested to submit manuscripts on/before March 06, 2026, for the upcoming issue of 2026.

Contact US