How the timing of eating affects reproductive health
Official title: The circadian time of food intake and its effect on reproductive health
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11318921 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at whether eating at the 'wrong' times of day can disrupt body clocks and harm fertility, especially for people with irregular schedules like shift workers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $537,989 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD109477-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11318921 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with irregular sleep or meal schedules—such as night-shift workers or those trying to conceive while experiencing circadian disruption—are the group that could eventually benefit.
✕Less likely to help
People whose infertility is due to fixed anatomical problems, known genetic causes, or issues unrelated to daily rhythms may not receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers will use mouse models to mimic eating at different times of day and watch how that changes mating, ovulation, and pregnancy outcomes. They will look at hormone patterns like the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and at specific brain cells called kisspeptin neurons that help time ovulation. The team will compare males and females to see who is most sensitive to mis-timed meals and will map how feeding time uncouples internal clocks from reproductive timing. The goal is to identify the biological steps by which wrong-time eating leads to reduced fertility.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to simple timing-based lifestyle changes or new biological targets to help protect fertility in people with disrupted daily schedules.
How similar studies have gone: Epidemiological studies link shift work to menstrual and birth problems, and prior mouse work shows mis-timed feeding can reduce fertility, so this project builds on existing findings while probing new mechanisms.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Butler, Matthew P — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Butler, Matthew P
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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.