Night owls are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, finds study

Medical Xpress / Diabetologia / Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes ^ | Sept. 8, 2024 | Dr. Jeroen van der Velde et al

[ConservativeMind]

Night owls have a higher BMI, larger waists, more hidden body fat and are almost 50% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes (T2D) than those who go to bed earlier, shows new research.

To find out more, Dr. van der Velde and colleagues studied the association between sleep timing, T2D and body fat distribution in more than 5,000 individuals.

The analysis involved participants with a mean age of 56 years and mean BMI of 30 kg/m2.

The participants were then divided into three groups: early chronotype, late chronotype and intermediate chronotype.

The participants were followed-up for a median of 6.6 years, during which 225 were diagnosed with T2D.

The results, which were adjusted for age, sex, education, total body fat and a range of lifestyle factors showed that compared with an intermediate chronotype, participants with a late chronotype had a 46% higher risk of T2D.

This suggests that the increased risk of T2D in late chronotypes can't be explained by lifestyle alone.

"We believe that other mechanisms are also at play," says Dr. van der Velde. "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. This can lead to circadian misalignment, which we know can lead to metabolic disturbances and ultimately type 2 diabetes."

The team also looked at T2D risk in early chronotypes.

Dr. van der Velde concludes, "People with a late chronotype appear to be at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with an intermediate chronotype, possibly because of higher body fat including more visceral fat and liver fat.

[PilotDave]

Who who knew owls were diabetic?

[gleeaikin]

I have been a night owl for many years. In 2022 3 loved ones were dealing with cancer and with my nervous nibbling I was at BMI 27.5, and my blood vitamin D dropped from optimal to insufficient. I then got very sick, but started strictly following a low carb diet and a year later was 30 lbs lighter with a BMI of 23. I was 85 by that time, and I believe this was a very poorly designed study. I also suspect many night owls may spend little time in the sun at the time when rays are strongest.

The only reason my blood vitamin D tested optimal in Dec. 2021 was because I discovered Vitamin D3 supplementation might be desirable to improve immune protection against Covid in late spring 2020. I started taking 2000 IU of Vitamin D3 in summer, increasing to 5,000 IU in winter. Current weight is 130 lb. Unfortunately I only saw ConservativeMind’s article pointing out that people with a BMI of 25 or more would have their vitamin D more likely to deposit in their fat than circulate in their blood where it helps immunity. A week later in Jan. 2023, my partner and I were exposed to a sick child and we were both sick for 3 1/2 months.

[whitney69]

Have you been watching the advertising for weight loss mediction like ozempic, jardiance, wegovy and other diabetic medications that docs have been prescribing for weight loss? All these are GLP-1 receptor agonists and are used as supplements for diebetics. I am a diabetic and it has become almost impossible to find these types of drugs in the strength I need. (3.0) Instead, they offer 1.5 at the pharmacies and most times they don’t have a supply of anything. And that cut amount is not enough to do the work and my numbers balloon when the body reacts.

“The only reason my blood vitamin D tested optimal in Dec. 2021 was because I discovered Vitamin D3 supplementation might be desirable to improve immune protection against Covid in late spring 2020.”

There is no better trade off than eating within reason and exercise. But some can’t exercise. I fall into that catagory. And you also mentioned trying to improve immune deficientcy to combat covid. Due to my heart and lungs, I take dupixent and before that Xolar, to create an immune deficientcy to offset problems in those areas.

Sorry about your sickness. I hide in my home to separate myself from people to keep from contact. Like circle in a spiral...

wy69