How your body clock links meal timing and blood sugar
Integration of Feeding Time and Glucose Metabolism by the Circadian Gene Network
This project looks at how your internal clock connects when you eat with how your body controls blood sugar, which matters for people with or at risk for diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11129886 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are studying how the circadian gene network controls insulin-producing beta cells and how brain feeding circuits time appetite, using genetic models, tissue studies, and tests of blood sugar and behavior. They will examine daily changes in gene activity and cell signaling that affect insulin release, and map brain circuits that coordinate pleasure-driven and energy-driven eating with glucose control. Most of the work is lab-based but it aims to point toward timing-based strategies to protect blood sugar and energy balance.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, or who have disrupted sleep and irregular meal timing (for example, shift workers) would be the most relevant candidates to benefit from these findings.
Not a fit: People whose conditions are unrelated to blood sugar regulation or circadian rhythms, such as many non-metabolic neurological disorders, may not receive direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better timing-based approaches—like meal schedules or sleep changes—to improve blood sugar control and lower diabetes risk.
How similar studies have performed: Other studies have shown that body clocks and meal timing affect metabolism and that time-restricted eating can help blood sugar, but the detailed gene-level and brain-circuit mechanisms in this project are still novel and under study.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Northwestern University — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bass, Joseph — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Bass, Joseph
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.