Night Owls at Higher Risk of Developing Diabetes

Research has found that individuals who sleep late at night, also known as “night owls,” are approximately 50% more likely to develop diabetes.

A team of researchers from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands conducted a study examining the association between sleep duration, diabetes, and body fat distribution in over 5,000 people enrolled in an epidemiological study of obesity.

These individuals, most of whom were around 55 years old, were classified as morning sleepers, intermediate sleepers, and late sleepers and were followed for 7 years. The researchers also adjusted the results for lifestyle factors such as age, gender, education, total body fat, and physical activity, diet quality, and alcohol consumption.

The results showed that people who slept late had a 46% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those who slept at average hours. The research team explained that the later people went to bed, the more they ate late-night snacks, the more they smoked, and the less they moved.

Specifically, people who went to bed late had a higher BMI (body mass index), a larger waist circumference, and more visceral fat. Fat content in the liver was also higher. Professor van der Velde, who led the research team, explained that night owls should stop eating after 6 p.m. as meal times can influence digestion and metabolism.

The research team plans to present their findings at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

Journalist Jong-ho Jang