Eating before 8.30 am tied to low blood sugar and reduced diabetes risk
Researchers have found in a new study that people who start eating before 8.30 a.m. had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance, which could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Intermittent fasting study has revealed that eating earlier was associated with lower blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
There is evidence from earlier studies suggesting that there is a link between skipping breakfast and high diabetes risk but relationship between early breakfast and blood sugar, insulin resistance and diabetes risk if lacking.
We found people who started eating earlier in the day had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance, 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 daily, said the lead researcher.
There is evidence from earlier studies suggesting that there is a link between skipping breakfast and high diabetes risk but relationship between early breakfast and blood sugar, insulin resistance and diabetes risk is lacking.
We found people who started eating earlier in the day had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance, 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 daily, said the lead researcher.
Insulin resistance occurs when the body doesn’t respond as well to the insulin that the pancreas is producing and glucose is less able to enter the cells. People with insulin resistance may be at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Both insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels affect a person’s metabolism, the breaking down of food to its simpler components: proteins, carbohydrates ( or sugars), and fats. Metabolic disorders such as diabetes occur when these normal processes become disrupted.
With a rise in metabolic disorders such as diabetes, we wanted to expand our understanding of nutritional strategies to aid in addressing this growing concern, the researcher said. Previous studies have found that time-restricted eating, which consolidates eating to a shortened timeframe each day, has consistently demonstrated improvement in metabolic health, she noted. Her groupd wanted to see whether eating earlier in the day affected metabolic measures.
The researchers analysed data from 10,575 adults who participated in the survey. They divided participants into 3 groups depending on total duration of food intake: less than 10 hours, 10-13 hours and more than 13 hours per day. They then created 6 sub-groups based in eating duration start time ( before/ after 8.30a.m.)
They analysed this data to determine if eating duration and timing were associated with fasting blood sugar levels and estimated insulin resistance. Fasting blood sugar levels did not differ significantly among eating interval groups. Insulin resistance was higher with shorter eating interval duration, but lower across all groups with an eating start time before 8.30 a.m.
These findings suggest that timing is more strongly associated with metabolic measures than duration , and support early eating strategies, she said.