Abstract
Background: Delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSPD), characterized by delayed sleep-onset and problems with awakening in the morning, is mostly prevalent in adolescents. Several studies have suggested chrono-nutrition could present a possible modifiable risk factor for DSPD. Objective: To describe differences in chrono-nutrition and diet quality in adolescents with DSPD compared to age-related controls. Methods: Chrono-nutrition and diet quality of 46 adolescents with DSPD, aged 13–20 years, and 43 controls were assessed via questionnaires. Diet quality included the Dutch Healthy Diet index (DHD-index) and Eating Choices Index (ECI). Results were analysed using logistic regression and Spearman’s partial correlation. Results: Compared with controls, DSPD patients consumed their first food of the day significantly later on weekdays (+32 ± 12 min, p = 0.010) and weekends (+25 ± 8 min, p = 0.005). They consumed their dinner more regularly (80.4% vs. 48.8%, p = 0.002) and consumed morning-snacks less frequently (3.0 ± 2.1 days vs. 4.2 ± 1.7 days, p = 0.006). No differences in clock times of breakfast, lunch, or dinner were found. Moreover, no significant differences in overall diet quality were observed. Conclusion: This descriptive study showed chrono-nutritional differences between adolescents with and without DPSD. Further studies are needed to explore features of chrono-nutrition as a possible treatment of DPSD.
Highlights
There is an increasing interest, besides what people eat, in when they eat [1]
Patients had a lower educational level and a disorder (ADHD/ADD, autism or a combination of two disorders) compared with the control group. Both diet quality and physical activity were slightly lower in Delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSPD) patients, but this was not statistically significant
The group of DSPD patients and the control group were similar in terms of age, height, smoking status, and alcohol consumption
Summary
The relationship between dietary intake and the circadian clock is called chrono-nutrition, which indicates the impact of the timing of eating on health [2,3,4]. Hormones and timing of food intake are synchronising factors ( called ‘zeitgebers’) able to reset circadian clocks [1,7]. These factors could lead to circadian desynchronization when people are exposed to a factor at the wrong time for their internal clock, which might have a negative impact on their health [1,4,7,8]. Several studies have suggested chrono-nutrition could present a possible modifiable risk factor for DSPD
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