Set your alarm! Eating breakfast before 8:30 am may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the study concluded.
- Previous studies have suggested that eating for a shorter daily period is better
- US researchers analyzed health and diet data from 10,574 adults in the U.S.
- They divided matters into groups based on the durations in which they eat
- The team found that insulin resistance was lower in those who ate before 8:30 am
Eating breakfast before 8:30 am may decrease your insulin resistance, reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a study concluded.
In people with type 2 diabetes, insulin, which allows glucose and fuel cells to enter, does not work properly. Diabetics are at risk of serious health complications.
This can include damage to the eyes, heart and feet – with patients treated through changes in diet, medication, weight loss and exercise.
Experts from the United States analyzed dietary and health data from more than 10,500 adults to see how the time and duration of daily consumption affects diabetes risk factors.
The work was inspired by previous studies that suggested that ‘eating with a restricted time’ – eating only for a shorter period during the day – improves metabolic health.
Eating breakfast before 8:30 am may reduce blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a study found.
“We found that people who started eating earlier had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance,” said article author and endocrinologist Marriam Ali of Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.
This, she added, was’ regardless of whether they restricted their food intake to less than 10 hours a day or their food intake was spread over more than 13 hours a day.
“With the increase in metabolic disorders such as diabetes, we wanted to expand our understanding of nutritional strategies to help address this growing concern.”
In their study, the team analyzed health and food intake data from 10,574 American adults who enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
They divided subjects into six groups based on the total duration of food intake – less than 10 hours throughout the day, 10–13 hours and more than 13 hours – and whether they ate for the first time each day before or after 8:30 am am.
The researchers then compared each group to investigate how the duration and time of daily consumption can affect fasting blood sugar levels and estimated levels of inulin resistance.
The team’s analysis revealed that fasting blood sugar levels did not differ significantly between groups.
However, they found that insulin resistance was higher among those who ate for a shorter period throughout the day – and lower in all groups who started listening before 8:30 am.
“These findings suggest that time is more strongly associated with metabolic measures than duration, and support early feeding strategies,” concluded Dr. Ali.
The full results of the study are being presented at ENDO 2021, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, which is being held virtually from 20 to 23 March 2021.