Assessment of eating jet lag, chrono-nutritional patterns and sleep profiles in the adult population: findings from a cross-sectional study

Chrono-nutritional patterns and sleep profiles are essential for health, but eating jet lag, caused by irregular meal timing between weekdays and weekends, may disrupt both. This study aimed to examine the association between chrono-nutritional patterns, sleep profiles and eating jet lag in Malaysian adults. A cross-sectional study involving 217 participants was conducted using an online survey that assessed sociodemographic data, sleep profiles, and eating behaviours. The validated Malay-translated Chrononutrition Profile Questionnaire (CPQ-M) was used to capture participants’ sleep-wake cycles and eating activities. Participants (mean age 31 ± 5 years) were predominantly Chinese (84%) and female (66%). Eating jet-laggers (EJL) were more likely than non-eating jet-laggers (NEJL) to consume their meal after 8.00 pm on weekends (χ²: 7.692, p < 0.005). On weekdays, greater eating midpoint jet lag was related to a longer eating window (β: 0.098, 95% CI: 0.032, 0.164), a shorter waking-first meal interval (β:-0.182,95%CI:-0.275,-0.089) and longer last meal-sleep interval (β: 0.085, 95% CI: 0.005, 0.165). Greater eating midpoint jet lag was significantly associated with jet lag in awake time (β: 0.307, 95% CI: 0.219, 0.395), sleep time (β :0.203,95% CI: 0.084, 0.323), sleep duration (β: 0.146, 95% CI: 0.062, 0.230) and sleep midpoint (β: 0.459,95% CI: 0.334, 0.585). These results demonstrate significant associations between eating jet lag, chrono-nutritional patterns, and sleep patterns, supporting the importance of synchronised sleep and meal timing in preventing metabolic risk.