Dear Interested Parties

On this page, you will learn about the essential aspects of the first controlled nutrition study conducted by the University of Paderborn, the ChroNu Study. The background of our study is based on observations that show that it is not only important what we eat, but also when we eat, in relation to the development of obesity and diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes. In this context, it seems particularly problematic when people consume large amounts of unfavorable carbohydrates in the evening. Additionally, when a set daily schedule is imposed, such as through studies, it may be that people eat against their "internal clock": larks (early risers) may eat "too late," or owls (late risers) may eat "too early." In the ChroNu study, we aim to investigate whether "eating against the internal clock" has a negative impact on the metabolism, even in young adults.

To this end, during the past winter semester of 2019/2020, we identified larks and owls (through Screening Study 1), from which we then invited the earliest and latest chronotypes to participate in an 8-day nutrition study, which will begin in September 2020.

This study is part of a collaboration with the University of Bonn and the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf and is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).