Study offers insights on how the timing of dinner and genetics affect individuals' blood sugar control (Mid-evening through nighttime forces hours of high blood sugar)

Medical Xpress / Diabetes Care / Massachusetts General Hospital ^ | Jan. 25, 2022 | Marta Garaulet et al

[ConservativeMind]

Blood sugar control, which is impaired in individuals with diabetes, is affected by various factors—including the timing of meals relative to sleep as well as levels of melatonin, a hormone primarily released at night that helps control sleep-wake cycles.

"We decided to test if late eating that usually occurs with elevated melatonin levels results in disturbed blood sugar control," says Richa Saxena, Ph.D.

"In natural late eaters, we simulated early and late dinner timing by administering a glucose drink and compared effects on blood sugar control over two hours," explains Saxena. "We also examined differences between individuals who were carriers or not carriers of the genetic variant in the melatonin receptor."

The team found that melatonin levels in participants' blood were 3.5-fold higher after the late dinner. The late dinner timing also resulted in lower insulin levels and higher blood sugar levels. (This connection makes sense because insulin acts to decrease blood sugar levels.) In the late dinner timing, participants with the MTNR1B G-allele had higher blood sugar levels than those without this genetic variant.

"We found that late eating disturbed blood sugar control in the whole group. Furthermore, this impaired glucose control was predominantly seen in genetic risk variant carriers, representing about half of the cohort," says Marta Garaulet, Ph.D.

Experiments revealed that the high melatonin levels and carbohydrate intake associated with late eating impairs blood sugar control through a defect in insulin secretion.

The authors note that it may be advisable to abstain from eating for at least a couple of hours before bedtime. "Genotype information for the melatonin receptor variant may further aid in developing personalized behavioral recommendations," says Saxena. "Notably, our study does not include patients with diabetes, so additional studies are needed."

[ConservativeMind]

A useful indication that eating in the mid evening causes many hours of high blood sugar we would not have if simply eating before our bodies start dumping melatonin into us. No one in this study had diabetes, so this may be even worse for diabetics.

If eating later, please consider a light meal or a keto meal.

[ConservativeMind]

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[DannyTN]

It’s 9:30pm and I have pizza.

[DannyTN]

It’s 9:30pm and I have pizza.

[DannyTN]

It’s 9:30pm and I have pizza.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I have never liked late eating because it interferes so much with sleep. It makes dinner parties a real challenge.

[Keflavik76]

Interesting article. I got into intermittent fasting a few years ago and liked it so much that now I have a general rule of not eating after 6PM. Try to go about 14 to 15 hours without eating and seems to be doing me good.

[Carriage Hill]

I became a Diabetic around 2017, and have now gone from Type 1 to Type 2 Diabetes. Now, no more daily or evening insulin; just Jardiance 10mg 1x/day, and 1,000mg Metformin 2x/day.

I eat a light breakfast, large midday meal, light meal at dinner and take the 2nd dose of Metformin, and my BSL (Blood Sugar Level) in the morning, at finger stick, is 90-100-103, compared to the wild swings using the two types of insulin, Novolog and Lantus. My Endocrinologist is pleased.

[z3n]

Presuming all the tests utilized blood sugar raising foods in the tests.

[telescope115]

Darnit, I was gonna have a king size PAYDAY bar in a bit. I’m looking at it right now. I know I should just have a hot cup of Earl Grey instead.

[telescope115]

LOL!

[caww]

Earl Grey is fabulous with a bit of Honey...and a scone on the side.

[Flaming Conservative]

Or don’t go to bed for a couple of hours.

[telescope115]

Yeah, now is my uninterrupted tv time, unless the cats wake up and want to play. And my uninterrupted FreeRepublic time.🙂

[married21]

I’m diabetic but “well managed”. Not eating later in the evening is very helpful in management of my blood sugar. If I want something sweet or junky, daytime is a much better time for it.

[jerod]

Type 1 diabetes has increased by 30%... I wonder why? Oops! Vaccines maybe?

[Cobra64]

So, are we not supposed to eat ice cream cookies and milk or a candy bar for dessert four hours before bedtime?

[Sans-Culotte]

So, when are we supposed to have dinner?

[ConservativeMind]

Good question!

Individual differences in the amount and timing of salivary melatonin secretion

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18725972/

It starts as early as 6:13 PM for healthy adults.