How a high‑fat diet changes your body clock and daily eating and energy use
Effect of high fat diet on the circadian system and on circadian rhythms in energy intake and expenditure
This project looks at whether eating a high‑fat diet changes the body's internal clock and daily patterns of when and how much people eat and burn energy, which may affect weight.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11162431 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers will combine animal experiments with human measurements to see how a high‑fat diet alters the body's circadian system and rhythms of eating and energy use. They will track feeding times, activity, metabolic rate, and molecular clock signals to identify which parts of the day/night system are disrupted. The team will compare high‑fat diets with other macronutrient patterns and collect sleep, activity, and metabolic data over days to weeks. The goal is to link diet composition with timing of eating and overall energy balance.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be adults with overweight or obesity or people with disrupted daily schedules (for example, shift workers) who can provide diet and sleep/activity information and attend clinic visits for metabolic testing.
Not a fit: People whose weight issues are driven primarily by rare genetic disorders or who cannot change diet or sleep patterns are less likely to benefit directly from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could inform diet or meal‑timing advice that better protects the body clock and helps with weight management.
How similar studies have performed: Animal studies have already shown high‑fat diets disturb circadian rhythms and early human data suggest similar effects, but translating this into treatments or clear clinical guidelines is still new.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Scheer, Frank a — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Scheer, Frank a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.