Evening chronotype and highly processed food consumption: The mediating role of intuitive eating

This study examined associations among chronotype, intuitive eating, and highly processed food (HPF) consumption and evaluated the mediating role of intuitive eating, with sex as a potential moderator. This cross-sectional study, conducted via an online survey in Türkiye from October 2025 to January 2026, included 610 adults. Participants completed the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), and the Screening Questionnaire of HPF Consumption. The IES-2 comprises four dimensions: unconditional permission to eat (UPE), eating for physical rather than emotional reasons (EPR), reliance on hunger and satiety cues, and body-food choice congruence (B-FCC). Among participants, 20.3% had an evening chronotype, and 68% reported high HPF consumption. Eveningness was associated with higher UPE (β = 0.219, p = 0.002) and EPR (β = 0.148, p = 0.032) and lower B-FCC (β = -0.225, p = 0.002); however, a sex difference emerged only for EPR, with a weaker association in women (β = -0.155, p = 0.029). Lower MEQ scores were significantly associated with higher HPF consumption (β = -0.212, p < 0.001), with no significant sex differences. All analyses were adjusted for age and body mass index. Mediation analyses indicated that UPE (indirect effect: -0.013 for women; -0.022 for men) and B-FCC (-0.006 for women; -0.013 for men) had significant indirect effects linking chronotype to HPF consumption, with no moderating effect of sex. These findings suggest that intuitive eating mechanisms may partly explain the association between evening chronotype and higher HPF consumption.