By Dr. Davide Marciano
What is the Cronodieta?
The chronodieta was conceived by the Italian doctor Mauro Todisco.
This diet maintains that it is not only the quantity of calories taken during the day that determines the success of the diet, but also the moment in which foods are consumed; because depending on the time, they can be stored or used as an energy source.
The chronodiet, as the word itself says, is based on the principles of chronobiology. This science has shown that all human functions (production of hormones, changes in temperature, mood, etc.) have a rhythmic pattern.
The rhythms that interest us most in the food sector are the CIRCADIAN OR DAILY RHYTHMS, ie, those that have a duration of about 24 hours.
Hormones and Circadian Rhythms
Let's analyze what are the circadian rhythms of the most important storage / consumption hormones, which influence nutrition:
- INSULIN: produced by the pancreas, it is a storage hormone, its possible sudden changes lead to the construction or enlargement of new fat cells. It also blocks the enzyme responsible for triglyceride cleavage (representing almost all body fat).
- CORTISONIC HORMONES: produced by the adrenal glands, they represent the antagonist of insulin. They promote glucose transport in the cell and decrease its use. This leads to the breakdown of triglycerides and the use of their components as an energy source.
Their peak is between 07.00 and 08.00 in the morning but they remain quite high until the early afternoon.
- THYROID HORMONES: produced by the thyroid, they are the embers of our body, they allow, in fact, to use food as a source of energy. They are at the highest levels from 13 to 16.
- GROWTH ORMONE OR GH: produced by the pituitary gland, allows in adult age the development of muscle mass at the expense of the fat mass.
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 CronoDieta
By virtue of what has been learned, we must share the nutrients in the following way:
- Carbohydrates must be broken down in the first part of the day, so that the cortisone hormones counteract the fattening action of the insulin.
- The most abundant meal is served from 1 pm to 4 pm, so that the high production of thyroid hormones converts what we eat into energy. The only care is not to combine proteins with carbohydrates.
- Dinner should consist of proteins with almost total elimination of carbohydrates so as not to affect the nocturnal peak of GH.
