Satchin Panda 1 source tracked

Chronobiologist and professor at the Salk Institute known for research on circadian rhythms and time-restricted eating.

About Satchin Panda →

Satchidananda "Satchin" Panda is a professor in the Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a founding executive member of the Center for Circadian Biology at the University of California, San Diego. A chronobiologist, he is known for research on circadian rhythms, melanopsin-mediated light sensing, and time-restricted eating, a form of intermittent fasting. He is the author of The Circadian Code and leads the myCircadianClock research project, a smartphone-based study tracking how daily patterns of eating, sleep, and activity affect health.

Recommendations

Endorses

Avoids

Neutral

Protocols

Endorses Time-restricted eating (12-hour window) practice

Guest recommendation In a protocol

Almost everyone from age 10 to 100 should eat all food and caloric beverages within a 12-hour daily window to allow the digestive system to rest and repair.

“
Almost anyone from 10 year old to 100 year old can and should eat all their food within a 12 hour window.

ZS

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Fix your body clock to improve long term health with Prof. Satchin Panda

▶ 33:34

Dosage
Consume all calories within a 12-hour window each day; e.g., 9am–9pm
Caveats
Athletes, new mothers, and those with high physical demands can stick to 12 hours rather than shorter windows
Certainty
explicit
strong endorsement

Circadian RhythmTime-Restricted EatingIntermittent FastingGut Health
Endorses Time-restricted eating (8–10 hour window) practice

Guest recommendation In a protocol

People with metabolic risk factors or eating windows over 12 hours should reduce their eating window by 3+ hours, aiming for an 8–10 hour window to improve sleep, energy, blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol.

“
if you reduce your eating window by three or more hours… you'll actually begin to see a lot of benefits

ZS

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Fix your body clock to improve long term health with Prof. Satchin Panda

▶ 34:55

Dosage
Eat all food within an 8–10 hour window daily; reduce current eating window by at least 3 hours; not less than 8 hours
Caveats
Don't shrink below 8 hours; combine with healthy food, not junk
Certainty
explicit
strong endorsement

Time-Restricted EatingMetabolic HealthSleepBlood Pressure
Avoids Caffeine supplement

Guest recommendation In a protocol

Stop drinking coffee or tea by 2pm if you plan to sleep between 10pm and midnight, because caffeine has a ~6–8 hour half-life and disrupts sleep.

“
no coffee or tea after 2pm if you are planning to go to sleep between say 10pm and midnight

ZS

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Fix your body clock to improve long term health with Prof. Satchin Panda

▶ 41:10

Dosage
No coffee or tea after 2pm
Certainty
explicit
recommendation

CaffeineSleepCircadian Rhythm
Avoids Late-night eating practice

Guest recommendation In a protocol

Avoid eating late at night because it confuses the body clock — the body cannot tell whether it's a late dinner or early breakfast, disrupting clocks in liver, gut, heart and kidney.

“
if you're eating very late into the night, then that night your body clock gets confused

ZS

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Fix your body clock to improve long term health with Prof. Satchin Panda

▶ 26:00

Certainty
explicit
strong warning

Circadian RhythmLate EatingMetabolism
Avoids Night shift work practice

Guest recommendation

Night shift work is classified as a probable carcinogen and raises risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and multiple cancers; living a shift-worker-like lifestyle (awake/active 2+ hrs between 10pm–5am) carries similar risks.

“
World Health Organization categorized night shift work as a potential carcinogen

ZS

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Fix your body clock to improve long term health with Prof. Satchin Panda

▶ 21:40

Certainty
explicit
strong warning

Shift WorkCircadian DisruptionCancerMetabolic Disease
Nuanced Black coffee or tea before breakfast practice

Guest recommendation In a protocol

Black coffee or tea is acceptable during the morning fasting window to delay breakfast, but reduce or stop if it causes acid reflux or heartburn.

“
if you have acid reflux, heartburn… then that may not be the best thing for your gut

ZS

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Fix your body clock to improve long term health with Prof. Satchin Panda

▶ 42:16

Dosage
Black coffee or tea allowed outside eating window; avoid excessive amounts (e.g., a liter) on empty stomach
Caveats
Large amounts on empty stomach can trigger acid reflux or heartburn in some people
Certainty
hedged
mild caution

Intermittent FastingCoffeeAcid Reflux

Image: salk.edu · Press/PR — used editorially