How the time you eat breakfast could ‘increase your risk of killer diabetes by 59%’
TIMING, it seems, really is the be all and end all.
Especially when it comes to eating.
A new study, of over 100,000 people, found the time of day you decide to eat your brekkie can indicates your diabetes risk.
Spanish scientists discovered eating breakfast after 9am increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 59 per cent, compared to people who ate breakfast before 8am.
Skipping breakfast altogether is no good either – those who did also had a higher risk of developing the condition.
The study, from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, also found late dinners – after 10pm – were associated with an increased risk of the disease.
While people who ate little, but often, had a lower chance of developing the condition than those who ate more but less frequently.
Lead author, Doctor Manolis Kogevinas, said: “Our results suggest that a first meal before 8am and a last meal before 7pm may help reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.”
The experts found that this was because your metabolism needs to be kept in line with the body’s internal clock, known as you your circadian rhythm,
Your body’s circadian clock responds to light, as a signal to be awake in the day, and dark, as a signal to fall asleep – and your eating pattern should follow this.
Previous studies have suggested that eating out of sync with your circadian rhythm can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes and being overweight.
Diabetes is a disease which occurs when the level of sugar in your blood is too high.
There are two types, with the main difference being that type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition, with Type 2 is linked to lifestyle choices.
Over 90 per cent of the five million people in the UK with diabetes have type 2 – with 850,000 of these undiagnosed.
The condition is usually experienced by older people, but experts have previously warned that the disease are now rising at a faster rate among those under 40 than in those over 40.
Diabetes UK has said that if nothing changes, 5.5 million people in the UK will have the disease by 2030.
What are the 7 signs to look out for with diabetes?
Common signs you may have diabetes include:
- going to the toilet a lot, especially at night
- being really thirsty
- feeling more tired than usual
- losing weight without trying to
- genital itching or thrush
- cuts and wounds that take longer to heal
- blurred vision
The symptoms are caused by high levels of glucose remaining in the blood, where it cannot be used as energy.
These signs are common in children and adults alike.
But adults suffering with type 1 diabetes can find it harder to recognise their symptoms.
Diabetes UK’s four Ts campaign – Toilet, Thirsty, Tired and Thinner – aims to raise awareness of the key signs.