AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - The researchers at Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands have found that staying up late at night may significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and contribute to several other health issues.
The study involved 5,000 overweight individuals, mostly in their mid-50s, with an average BMI of 30. They were asked about their typical sleep and waking times, which was used to calculate their midpoint-of-sleep or MSP times.
Based on this data, the participants were divided into three groups - the earliest chronotypes with an MPS of 2:30 AM, the intermediate chronotypes with an MPS between 2:30-4 AM; and the late chronotypes with an MPS later than 4 AM.
After adjusting for factors such as total body fat, diet, age, sex, education and lifestyle habits including smoking, sleep quality and duration, and alcohol intake, researchers found that participants with late chronotypes had a 46 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who had the intermediate chronotype.
'A likely explanation is that the circadian rhythm or body clock in late chronotypes is out of sync with the work and social schedules followed by society,' lead researcher Jeroen van der Velde suggested. 'This can lead to circadian misalignment, which we know can lead to metabolic disturbances and ultimately Type 2 diabetes.'
The results, presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, also found that late chronotypes tended to have a higher BMI, larger waist circumference, more visceral fat, and higher liver fat content compared to those with an intermediate chronotype.
Additionally, the researchers suspect that staying awake late at night might also lead to increased food intake, further contributing to health risks.
'People with a late chronotype are probably more likely to eat until later in the evening,' the lead researcher said. 'While we did not measure this in our study, there is growing evidence that time-restricted eating, not eating anything after a certain time, such as 6 pm, may lead to metabolic benefits. Night owls who are concerned about the increased risk of type 2 diabetes might want to try this or, at least, try to refrain from eating late in the evening.'
'The next step is to study if those with a late chronotype improve in metabolic health when they make changes in the timing of their lifestyle habits,' he added.
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