Study Finds Night Owls Face Higher Diabetes Risk

A new study from Leiden University Medical Centre indicates that night owls, or individuals with a late sleep chronotype, have a 46% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with an intermediate chronotype. This research, involving over 5,000 participants, suggests that while night owls are more prone to unhealthy behaviors like smoking and poor diet, lifestyle factors alone cannot fully explain the increased diabetes risk. The study highlights the possibility that circadian misalignment, where an individual's body clock is out of sync with societal norms, may also contribute to metabolic issues. Participants were categorized based on their sleep timing and followed for an average of 6.6 years, during which 225 were diagnosed with diabetes. Researchers recommend that night owls should avoid eating late at night as a preventive measure. The findings will be presented at the upcoming European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting.