Chrononutrition and Diabetes: Mapping the Scientific Landscape Through Bibliometric Insights

TL;DR

This paper maps the growth of chrononutrition research in diabetes using bibliometric analysis, showing rising global interest and key research themes.

Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of chrononutrition in diabetes, identifying growth trends, key contributors, and thematic clusters.

Findings

Chrononutrition research has shown an annual growth rate of 11.41% since 2000.

Three major research clusters emerged: clinical trials, animal studies on circadian biology, and dietary interventions like time-restricted feeding.

The United States, China, and Australia are the most productive countries in this field.

Abstract

Chrononutrition, an emerging field at the interface of circadian biology, nutrition, and metabolic health, has gained increasing attention in the context of diabetes research. To capture the evolution and current state of this domain, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in the Scopus database until August 31, 2025. The dataset comprised 1,629 documents retrieved across 678 sources, which were analyzed using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The analysis revealed an annual growth rate of 11.41%, reflecting steady and accelerating global interest in the role of meal timing and circadian rhythms in diabetes. The United States, China, and Australia emerged as the most productive countries, while the University of Illinois at Chicago, Adelaide Medical School, and Universiteit van Amsterdam ranked as leading institutions. International collaboration was extensive, with the United States acting as a central hub connecting research networks across continents. Citation trends showed increasing influence of the field after 2000, peaking between 2010 and 2018, followed by a relative decline in recent years. Thematic mapping highlighted the following three major clusters (keyword co-occurrence): clinical trials on glycemic control and lifestyle, experimental animal studies on circadian biology, and dietary interventions such as time-restricted feeding and intermittent fasting. This study underscores the multidisciplinary growth of chrononutrition in diabetes research, highlights its translational potential for clinical practice, and identifies opportunities for broader global participation and culturally diverse interventions.

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