Objective: To study the influence of changes in meal timing and frequency on the diurnal rhythm of leptin and on the 24-hour profile of insulin and glucose.
Patients and methods: Five obese women were studied twice during a weight-maintaining diet in either 3 daily or 8 day and night equal portions. Blood was sampled for 24-hour profiles of leptin and insulin.
Results: During the 8-meal intervention, the 24-hour rhythm of leptin changed significantly: the amplitude decreased (p = 0.0089) and the acrophase was delayed by 168 min (p = 0.021). Also, 8 small insulin secretion peaks occurred instead of the 3 postprandial high insulin peaks.
Conclusion: The dispersion of food intake over 24 h affects the diurnal leptin rhythm. These changes could not be attributed to changes in circadian timing or energy balance. Instead, changes in daily insulin secretion profiles might play a role.