Meal Timing Jetlag is associated with anxiety, depressive and insomnia symptoms in a French-speaking online cohort: A cross-sectional analysis of ALIMENTAL 2

TY - JOUR

T1 - Meal Timing Jetlag is associated with anxiety, depressive and insomnia symptoms in a French-speaking online cohort

T2 - A cross-sectional analysis of ALIMENTAL 2

AU - Fond, Guillaume

AU - Coelho, Julien

AU - Stubbs, Brendon

AU - Yon, Dong Keon

AU - Achour, Yannis

AU - Akbaraly, Tasnime

AU - Aouizerate, Bruno

AU - Boulot, Lou

AU - Cappuccio, Francesco P.

AU - Capuron, Lucile

AU - Iceta, Sylvain

AU - Lucas, Guillaume

AU - Manfredini, Roberto

AU - Marx, Wolfgang

AU - Micoulaud-Franchi, Jean Arthur

AU - Pigazzani, Filippo

AU - Rahmati, Masoud

AU - Tran, Bach Xuan

AU - Boyer, Laurent

AU - Taillard, Jacques

AU - Berk, Michael

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors.

PY - 2026/7/16

Y1 - 2026/7/16

N2 - Background Chrono-nutrition – when, not only what, one eats relative to circadian timing – is an emerging determinant of mental health. We tested whether Meal Timing Jetlag (MTJL), the workday-to-free-day discordance in eating schedules, is associated with anxiety (primary outcome) and with depressive and insomnia symptoms (secondary), independently of sleep-based circadian misalignment. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of the ALIMENTAL 2 French-speaking online cohort (n = 2945). Sleep timing was assessed with the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire and meal timing with a Food Timing Screener. Outcomes were the GAD-7 (anxiety), CES-D (depression) and ISI (insomnia). Multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, BMI, unemployment, financial difficulty and shift work, with dose–response, logistic and BMI-stratified sensitivity analyses. Results In the primary model (n = 2817), MTJL was independently associated with anxiety (β = +0.47/h, 95% CI [0.14, 0.79], p = 0.005). The relationship was J-shaped (non-linearity p = 0.020; slope above 1 h + 1.03/h, p < 0.001). MTJL was also associated with depressive symptoms (β = +1.81, 95% CI [1.00, 2.61], p < 0.001) and insomnia severity (β = +0.90, 95% CI [0.47, 1.33], p < 0.001). Sleep-based circadian phase and sleep social jetlag were not. The per-hour anxiety effect is modest (≈12% of the GAD-7 minimal clinically important difference). Limitations The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality; reverse causation cannot be excluded. The cohort was online and 80% female, limiting generalisability. Conclusions Meal-timing regularity may be a candidate behavioural correlate of anxiety, depression and insomnia, warranting longitudinal and interventional confirmation before any clinical recommendation.

AB - Background Chrono-nutrition – when, not only what, one eats relative to circadian timing – is an emerging determinant of mental health. We tested whether Meal Timing Jetlag (MTJL), the workday-to-free-day discordance in eating schedules, is associated with anxiety (primary outcome) and with depressive and insomnia symptoms (secondary), independently of sleep-based circadian misalignment. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of the ALIMENTAL 2 French-speaking online cohort (n = 2945). Sleep timing was assessed with the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire and meal timing with a Food Timing Screener. Outcomes were the GAD-7 (anxiety), CES-D (depression) and ISI (insomnia). Multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, BMI, unemployment, financial difficulty and shift work, with dose–response, logistic and BMI-stratified sensitivity analyses. Results In the primary model (n = 2817), MTJL was independently associated with anxiety (β = +0.47/h, 95% CI [0.14, 0.79], p = 0.005). The relationship was J-shaped (non-linearity p = 0.020; slope above 1 h + 1.03/h, p < 0.001). MTJL was also associated with depressive symptoms (β = +1.81, 95% CI [1.00, 2.61], p < 0.001) and insomnia severity (β = +0.90, 95% CI [0.47, 1.33], p < 0.001). Sleep-based circadian phase and sleep social jetlag were not. The per-hour anxiety effect is modest (≈12% of the GAD-7 minimal clinically important difference). Limitations The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality; reverse causation cannot be excluded. The cohort was online and 80% female, limiting generalisability. Conclusions Meal-timing regularity may be a candidate behavioural correlate of anxiety, depression and insomnia, warranting longitudinal and interventional confirmation before any clinical recommendation.

KW - Anxiety

KW - Chrono-nutrition

KW - Cohort study

KW - Depression

KW - Insomnia

KW - Meal Timing Jetlag

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105045148626

U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2026.122229

DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2026.122229

M3 - Article

C2 - 42425244

AN - SCOPUS:105045148626

SN - 0165-0327

VL - 413

JO - Journal of Affective Disorders

JF - Journal of Affective Disorders

M1 - 122229

ER -