Scientists from Harbin Medical University have identified how the timing of certain foods across the day may be linked to a lower risk of heart disease–related death in people living with diabetes.
The study, led by Wenbo Jiang and published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, highlights that not only what people eat, but also when they eat it, may play an important role in supporting cardiovascular health.
According to the National Institutes of Health, people with diabetes are significantly more likely to develop heart disease than those without the condition.
They are also more prone to risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which increase the chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
Chronically high blood glucose levels can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control the heart over time, accelerating the development of cardiovascular disease.
As a result, adults with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to experience heart disease or stroke, and they tend to develop these conditions at an earlier age.
In the current study, researchers examined whether the timing of food intake across three main periods of the day—the morning, afternoon and evening—was associated with better heart health outcomes in people with diabetes.
They analysed data from more than 4,000 participants with diabetes who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2014.
Their eating habits were recorded and compared with long-term health outcomes, particularly deaths related to heart disease.
The findings revealed distinct patterns. In the morning, individuals who consumed higher amounts of potatoes and starchy vegetables had a lower risk of dying from heart disease compared with those who consumed the least.
In the afternoon, higher intake of whole grains was linked to a reduced risk of heart-related death.
In the evening, participants who ate more dark-coloured vegetables and consumed milk were also less likely to die from heart disease.
In contrast, people who consumed the greatest amounts of processed meat in the evening had a significantly higher risk of heart disease–related death. This aligns with previous evidence linking processed meats to increased inflammation and cardiovascular risk.
The researchers also explored the potential impact of shifting when certain foods were eaten.
They found that moving a small portion of potatoes or starchy vegetables from the afternoon or evening to the morning, shifting dark vegetables from the afternoon to the evening, and moving whole grain intake from the morning to the afternoon were all associated with a lower risk of heart disease death.
Based on these results, the researchers concluded that in people with diabetes, a higher intake of potatoes or starchy vegetables earlier in the day, whole grains in the afternoon, and dark vegetables and milk in the evening—along with a lower intake of processed meat in the evening—may be linked to a reduced risk of dying from heart disease.
These findings suggest that the timing of certain foods may complement overall dietary quality and could be considered as part of broader strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk in people living with diabetes.
