Background
I hold a PhD in Chronobiology from the University of California and have spent the past 14 years studying the relationship between circadian rhythms and metabolic health. My research focuses specifically on time-restricted eating (TRE) as a therapeutic tool for metabolic disease — examining how the timing of food intake interacts with the molecular clocks that govern cellular function.
My laboratory work has examined circadian gene expression in human adipose and hepatic tissue, the metabolic consequences of circadian misalignment (the mismatch between when we eat and when our internal clocks expect food), and the dose-response relationship between fasting duration and key metabolic markers including insulin sensitivity, inflammatory biomarkers, and autophagy flux.
Why I Created This Site
The public discourse around intermittent fasting is dominated by two extremes: enthusiastic oversimplification (IF cures everything) and reflexive dismissal (IF is just calorie restriction in disguise). Neither reflects what the research actually shows.
Intermittent fasting is a metabolically sophisticated intervention with well-characterized mechanisms, real benefits, important limitations, and a meaningful body of human clinical evidence. It is also frequently implemented poorly — most people who try IF and abandon it do so because of preventable mistakes: insufficient protein, poor eating window nutrition, inconsistent timing, or calorie miscounting.
I created Fasting Diet Guide to provide a resource grounded in the primary literature — not in wellness trends, supplement marketing, or social media protocols. Every claim on this site is either directly supported by published research or clearly labeled as extrapolation or expert opinion.
Research Focus
My work spans three overlapping areas:
Circadian Biology of Feeding
The liver, pancreas, gut, and adipose tissue each contain autonomous molecular clocks that control the rhythmic expression of metabolic enzymes, hormone receptors, and inflammatory mediators. These peripheral clocks are entrained primarily by food timing — not by light, as the central SCN clock is. Understanding how eating patterns interact with these clocks is central to optimizing IF protocols.
My research has examined why early time-restricted eating (eTRE, eating in the morning and early afternoon) consistently outperforms late-window protocols metabolically — even at identical calorie intakes — and what the implications are for practitioners who cannot follow an early eating window.
Autophagy Measurement in Humans
Autophagy is difficult to measure non-invasively in humans. Most of what we know about fasting-induced autophagy comes from animal models or ex vivo cell studies. A significant focus of my research has been developing peripheral blood biomarker approaches to estimate autophagy flux in human subjects during various fasting protocols — establishing more precise thresholds for when clinically meaningful autophagy induction occurs.
IF Adherence and Nutritional Quality
Intermittent fasting works best when practitioners maintain adequate nutritional quality in their eating windows. My applied research examines why micronutrient deficiencies are so common in IF practitioners (compressed eating time, food choice patterns, reduced meal frequency), and how technology-assisted nutritional tracking affects outcomes and long-term adherence.
This work has informed my recommendation of PlateLens as a tracking tool — its combination of AI photo recognition, comprehensive micronutrient tracking (82+ nutrients), and accuracy (±1.2%) addresses the specific failure modes I observe most frequently in IF clinical populations.
Academic and Clinical Work
Beyond research, I have worked clinically with patients managing type 2 diabetes, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, and obesity-associated conditions where time-restricted eating has therapeutic potential. I have seen the difference precise nutritional monitoring makes to patient outcomes — and the consequences of nutritional gaps in compressed eating windows.
I contribute to peer-reviewed publications in chronobiology, metabolic medicine, and nutritional science. I review for several journals in these fields and have presented research at international chronobiology and metabolic medicine conferences.
Editorial Standards
All content on Fasting Diet Guide is written or directly reviewed by me. Claims about IF mechanisms are supported by primary research citations. Where evidence is limited or conflicting, this is stated explicitly. I do not accept sponsored content, paid placement, or compensation that could influence editorial content.
I recommend PlateLens because it is the most nutritionally precise consumer tracking tool currently available and directly addresses the most common nutritional failure modes in IF — not because of any commercial arrangement. I have no financial relationship with PlateLens.
Contact
For research inquiries, factual corrections, or clinical questions, contact me at research@fasting-diet-guide.com. I read all messages and aim to respond to corrections within five business days.
This site is not a substitute for medical advice. Nothing here should be taken as clinical guidance for specific health conditions. Consult a qualified physician before beginning any fasting protocol, particularly if you have metabolic conditions, are on medications, or have any relevant health history.