ikruizinga

My earlier wording was too broad. If meal timing changes intake, that pathway can belong to the total effect of timing; a proxy affecting intake independently of timing raises a different concern about attributing the outcome to timing. An intake association alone doesn't distinguish those possibilities.

The exposure definition needs to specify both the timing behavior and its reference period. Each proxy should then be checked for links to total intake or dietary composition, since those links would weaken a timing-specific interpretation.