ChronoDiet

Edited by Dr. Davide Marciano

What is the Chronodiet?

The chronodiet was created by the Italian doctor Mauro Todisco.

This diet maintains that it is not only the amount of calories consumed throughout the day that determines the success of the diet, but also the time in which the foods are consumed; because depending on the time, they can be stored or used as a source. energy.
The chronodiet, as the word itself says, is based on the principles of chronobiology. This science has shown that all human functions (hormone production, changes in temperature, mood, etc.) have a rhythmic pattern.
The rhythms that interest us most in the food sector are CIRCADIAN OR DAILY RHYTHMS, that is, those that last about 24 hours.

Hormones and Circadian Rhythms

Let's analyze the circadian rhythms of the most important storage / consumption hormones, which influence nutrition:

1. INSULIN: produced by the pancreas, is a storage hormone, its eventual fluctuations lead to the construction or enlargement of new fat cells. It also blocks the enzyme responsible for breaking down triglycerides (they represent almost all body fat).
2. CORTISON HORMONES: produced by the adrenal glands, they represent the antagonist of insulin. They promote the transport of glucose into the cell and reduce its use. This leads to the breakdown of triglycerides and the use of their components as an energy source.
   Their maximum peak is between 07.00 and 08.00 in the morning but they remain quite high until the early afternoon.
3. THYROID HORMONES: produced by the thyroid, they are the embers of our body, in fact, they allow us to use food as a source of energy. They are at the highest levels from 1pm to 4pm.
4. GROWTH HORMONE OR GH: produced by the pituitary gland, it allows the development of muscle mass at the expense of fat in adulthood.
   It has three significant peaks during the day: the two highest occur in the first and fourth hours after falling asleep. The third, less influential, develops in the early morning.

Rules of the ChronoDiet

Based on what we have learned, we need to distribute the nutrients in the following way:

1. Carbohydrates must be distributed in the first part of the day, so that the cortisone hormones counteract the fattening action of insulin.
2. The most abundant meal must be carried out from 13 to 16 in the afternoon, so that the high production of thyroid hormones converts what we eat into energy. The only precaution is not to combine proteins with carbohydrates.
3. Dinner must be made up of proteins with the almost total elimination of carbohydrates so as not to affect the nocturnal peak of GH.