Being more active in the morning or afternoon is not just a matter of personal preference. Chronotype, which is each person's biological tendency to function better at certain times of the day, can play a significant role in preserving muscle mass, as well as its quality and strength, and also in metabolic health. Understanding this relationship can help explain why not everyone responds the same way to the same health routines.
This is one of the conclusions of a scientific review article signed by teams from the University of Barcelona, Bellvitge University Hospital, the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the CIBER Area for Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM) of the Carlos III Health Institute. The study was led by Professor Pablo M. Garcia-Rovés, from the Department of Physiological Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Barcelona and IDIBELL.
The paper, published in the journal Nutrients , analyses existing scientific evidence on the relationship between the biological clock, lifestyle habits (diet, physical activity and rest) and muscle maintenance, especially in the context of obesity and ageing.
"Chronotype determines how we organize ourselves throughout the day and can indirectly influence key factors for muscle health, such as rest, physical activity and eating schedules," explains Roberto Barrientos-Salinas, a researcher in the Diabetes and Metabolism Programme at IDIBELL.
When schedules do not align with biology
According to the article, people with an evening chronotype tend to eat later, have less regular sleep patterns, and engage in less structured physical activity. This misalignment between the internal biological clock and social schedules can lead to less healthy lifestyles and impact muscle quality and metabolism.
The research team emphasizes that chronotype is not a matter of willpower or learned habits, but rather an individual biological characteristic determined by genetic and physiological factors.
Muscle, key to independence and healthy ageing
The study highlights the importance of muscle as an essential organ for health: beyond strength or mobility, it plays a decisive role in metabolism and in preventing age-related frailty. In this regard, researchers warn of the risk of sarcopenic obesity, a condition characterized by excess body fat combined with a loss of muscle mass and function, which can compromise quality of life in the long term.
