PhD defence Marvin Yew Chong

Keywords: Chrono-nutrition, Chrono-activity, Type 2 diabetes, Colorectal cancer

"Behavioral Rhythms in Dietary Intake and Physical Activity: Implications for Fatigue, Sleep, Cardiometabolic Health and Quality of Life"

This thesis investigated whether the timing, frequency, and regularity of eating and physical activity are related to health outcomes in people with colorectal cancer and individuals with or at risk of type 2 diabetes. While lifestyle recommendations mainly focus on what people eat and how much they move this research explored whether when people eat and are active also matters for health. Using data from two large Dutch studies, associations were examined with fatigue, sleep quality, inflammation, blood glucose control, and quality of life. The findings suggest that more regular eating and activity patterns, as well as better alignment between lifestyle behaviours and a person’s natural biological rhythm (chronotype), may be linked to better health outcomes. For example, physical activity later in the day was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while irregular eating patterns were linked to poorer blood glucose control and sleep. These findings may ultimately help improve future lifestyle recommendations and interventions. 

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