A new study finds that being an “evening person” or “night owl” increases the risk of developing diabetes by 19 percent compared to those who are “morning people.”
Scientists have found that women who go to bed and wake up late—those with the “evening chronotype”—are more likely to lead an unhealthy lifestyle, which puts them at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
“Chronotype, or circadian preference, refers to a person's preferred times of sleep and wakefulness and is partly determined genetically, so this can be difficult. change. People who think they are night owls may need to pay more attention to their lifestyle, because their evening chronotype may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” says general practitioner Yuri Zavyalov specially for MedicForum.
Researchers analyzed data from almost 64,000 women. Data included sleep habits, diet, weight, body mass index, sleep time, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and family history of diabetes.
The team also reviewed medical records to find out whether the women had diabetes. Of those who took part in the study, 11 percent reported having a specific evening chronotype and about 35 percent reported a specific morning chronotype.
The rest were labeled as intermediate, meaning they did not identify as either morning or evening people. After controlling for lifestyle factors, evening chronotype was associated with a 19 percent increased risk of diabetes.
Among those with the healthiest lifestyles, only six percent had an evening chronotype, compared with 25 percent of night owls who reported an unhealthy lifestyle.
“Evening people were also found to be more likely to drink alcohol during the day.” large quantities, eat a poor-quality diet, sleep fewer hours a day, currently smoke, and their weight, BMI and physical activity indicators are in an unhealthy range,” Zavyalov comments on the study.
When we controlled for unhealthy lifestyle choices, the strong association between chronotype and diabetes risk was attenuated but still remained, meaning that lifestyle factors accounted for a noticeable portion of this association.
The association between evening chronotype was found to be significant, according to the researchers. and the risk of diabetes was greater in people who worked day shifts as opposed to night shift workers, “suggesting that more personalized work scheduling may be beneficial.”
Researchers now plan to study the genetic causes of chronotype and its association with heart disease.
“If scientists can determine the causal relationship between chronotype and diabetes or other diseases, doctors will be able to better tailor prevention strategies for their patients.”
MedicForum previously wrote about high fatigue as a sign kidney cancer.
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