Dietary nutritional strategies for circadian rhythm regulation: advances, challenges and future directions

The escalation of urban light pollution and the trend toward a globalized lifestyle have led to a notable increase in circadian rhythm disruption (CRD), which is emerging as a concealed epidemic in contemporary society. Dietary nutritional strategies (DNS) that optimize meal timing, dietary structure, and nutrient composition show promising potential for regulating CR and improving metabolic health. This review systematically analyzes the characteristics, mechanisms of action, and clinical applicability of current lipid-based nutritional strategies. This review critically assesses the challenges in CR regulation, analyzes characteristics and mechanisms of action, and discusses integrating precision nutrition concepts and emerging technologies to advance DNS for CR regulation and health management in special populations. We propose a four-dimensional classification for DNS: time window-based, energy intake-based, macronutrient-based, and natural bioactive compound-based dietary regulation. Challenges include the absence of standardized assessment frameworks for CRD, the limited predictive value of preclinical models in translating findings to human responses, insufficient development of phenotype-driven precision nutrition protocols, and an incomplete understanding of structure-activity relationships among chrono-nutrition compounds. Integration of multimodal dietary strategies, establishment of CRD-based population stratification systems, and utilization of artificial intelligence to create intelligent monitoring networks are essential steps in advancing adaptive and personalized precision nutrition interventions.