Breakfast might be more than just the most important meal of the day; it could be a critical factor in determining our risk for type 2 diabetes.
A study involving over 100,000 French participants discovered that those who ate breakfast after 9 a.m. had a whopping 59% higher risk of developing diabetes compared to those munching on their morning meal before 8 a.m.
Beyond What We Eat: When Matters Too
Most of us know that an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and habits like smoking can increase our chances of getting type 2 diabetes.
But Anna Palomar-Cros, a researcher with ISGlobal, points out another possible culprit: meal timing.
It seems that our body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythms, and how they intertwine with our eating patterns, could play a pivotal role in our health.
While several studies have focused on the impact of our diet, only a handful have explored how the timing of our meals influences health outcomes.
To shed light on this, researchers from ISGlobal collaborated with a team from INSERM, France. Together, they delved into the eating habits of 103,312 adults, with a majority being women, from the French NutriNet-Santé cohort.
These participants shared their dietary routines over three separate days, giving the researchers a glimpse into not just what they ate, but when they ate.
With this data in hand, the teams monitored the health of these participants over an average span of seven years.
Start Early, End Early
Of all the participants, 963 new cases of type 2 diabetes emerged. The most striking discovery? Regularly eating breakfast post 9 a.m. significantly bumped up the risk.
But why? Palomar-Cros offers a clue, suggesting that delaying or even skipping breakfast can mess with our glucose, lipid control, and insulin levels.
And she isn’t alone in this thinking; previous research supports the idea that bypassing breakfast can elevate diabetes risk.
But breakfast isn’t the only meal to watch. Those indulging in late dinners, specifically after 10 p.m., might also be gambling with their health.
On a brighter note, frequent eating, around five times daily, seemed to offer protective benefits against the disease.
So, what’s the ideal recipe? “Kicking off with a meal before 8 a.m. and wrapping up your day’s food intake by 7 p.m. might help in fending off type 2 diabetes,” suggests Manolis Kogevinas, an ISGlobal researcher.
This isn’t the first time the ISGlobal team has championed early meals; they’ve previously highlighted the potential benefits of early dinners in reducing cancer risks.
Chrononutrition: The Way Forward?
Blending diet, our body’s natural rhythms, and overall health, chrononutrition emerges as a fascinating field with potential solutions to combat type 2 diabetes and other chronic ailments.
This study underscores the idea that when it comes to safeguarding our health, it’s not just about what’s on our plate, but when it’s on our plate.
If you care about diabetes, please read that blueberries strongly benefit people with metabolic syndrome, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
For more information about diabetes, please read that not all whole grain foods could benefit people with diabetes, and honey could help control blood sugar.
The study was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
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