New Delhi, May 18 -- For much of modern history, nutrition science has focused on the what of eating - calories, macronutrients, fiber, fat. In the process, it largely ignored a more fundamental truth: our bodies run on time. Not metaphorically, but biologically. A burgeoning field known as chrononutrition is reframing the conversation, asking a quietly radical question: what if timing is the missing ingredient in how we nourish ourselves?

Emerging research suggests that erratic eating patterns - late-night dinners, skipped breakfasts, grazing throughout the day - can disrupt the body's internal clocks, with sweeping effects on blood sugar regulation, hormonal balance, and even immune function. Our organs, it turns out, are creatures of ...