New issue: Why when you eat matters

There is no light quite like the one inside my fridge. It makes everything look delicious, especially when I’m gazing in at the contents considering a midnight feast. But it’s not just a trick of the light. If my eyes settle on the leftovers from dinner, for instance, I know that in the few hours since they were on the table, the flavours will have had a chance to marry and meld even further. They’ll be richer, they’ll be fuller. They’ll taste… different. The thing is, the leftovers aren’t the only thing that’s different now that the clock’s struck midnight. I am too. Or rather, my metabolism is. And if I were to launch into those tasty-looking leftovers now, my body wouldn’t deal with the food the same way as it did earlier in the day. Were I to eat this food during daylight, sugars would be shifted through my system fairly swiftly. But eating it in the evening means those same sugars are going to hang around longer, causing a higher-than-normal blood sugar spike and a corresponding insulin response. Fat in the food is also more likely to get stored instead of being burned as fuel. Worse still, chances are it’s getting stored as visceral fat wrapped around my organs, instead of comparatively less-harmful subcutaneous fat just beneath my skin. And that’s all before considering how submitting to the delights of this midnight snack could upset my body clock, potentially throwing other spanners into the works of my general health for days to come. Now, I’m no hypochondriac and I’m not neurotic about food. But all these are real concerns – for everybody, not just me. It’s also a concern for the scientists who study the effects food has on our bodies. They’re discovering that when we eat matters almost as much as what we eat. The name they’ve given this clock-related phenomenon is chrononutrition, and you can find out how it’s changing our approach to mealtimes in this issue.

Holly Spanner

Published: October 22, 2026 at 7:00 am

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Q&A: Your questions answered by our team of experts. This month: Does time really fly when you’re having fun? Why do zebras have stripes? If the apocalypse hits, can I just live off a supermarket? Why do leaves turn red and gold in autumn? Why is the poop emoji a spiral? Is modern medicine affecting my gut microbiome? And more…

Issue 438 on sale Thursday 22 October 2026

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Staff Writer, BBC Science Focus

Holly is the Staff Writer for BBC Science Focus and looks after the popular Q&A section. She holds an MSc (distinction) in Geoscience (Space and Climate Physics) from UCL, and specialises in astronomy and earth sciences. Before joining Our Media, she worked as a geoenvironmental consultant and engineer, informing on ground risk and remediation in the north of England, while hunting for exoplanets in her spare time. Alongside this, she was regional editor of a popular theatre website for nine years, and has a solid background in curating and developing content for the digital space. Holly is also an artist and illustrator, and regular contributor to the craft website, Gathered. She has previously worked with the RSPB, English Heritage, Disney, Pilot and Brother, as well as on BBC Good Food magazine, Home Style magazine, and Papercraft inspirations magazine. She enjoys photography and has a sustained interest in antiques.

Issue 438 of BBC Science Focus is on sale from 22 October 2026