In a new study from the University of Naples Federico II, researchers found that though obesity by itself can drive up heart disease risk, diabetes and heart disease risk is especially high when combined with a tendency to stay up late at night.
The sleep-wake cycle is one of the most important behavioral rhythms in humans.
In the study, the team grouped participants according to their sleep patterns.
Nearly six in 10 were early risers—the so-called “morning larks.” These folks tend to wake up and be most active early in the day.
About 13% were “night owls.” They tended to wake up late and be most active during the late afternoon or evening.
The rest—about three in 10—fell somewhere in between (the “intermediate-type”).
The team found though study participants in all three groups had similar BMIs, night owls were more likely to eat big dinners and have other unhealthy habits, such as tobacco use and lack of exercise.
And all that put them at higher risk for health problems. While 30% of morning larks had heart disease, that figure hit nearly 55% among night owls.
The risk of type 2 diabetes, meanwhile, was about 9% among morning people, and almost 37% among night owls. There was no difference between morning people and participants who were in the intermediate-type category.
Prior studies have estimated that late risers have 1.3 times the risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, compared with early risers.
They are also less likely to follow a heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, which is heavy on fruits, vegetables and fish.
Taken together, all these features leave night owls at higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
As to the best way to combat it, the team says that efforts to get obesity under control might be more successful if sleep patterns were taken into account.
It is important to help obese patients develop better sleep-wake habits based on earlier rising because earlier rising patterns might help such patients develop better dietary and activity habits, and thereby increase their chance of success for weight loss.
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The study was presented at a virtual meeting of the European Congress on Obesity. One author of the study is Dr. Giovanna Muscogiuri.
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