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Late meal timing fails to influence risk for diabetes, prediabetes
Late-night food consumption did not affect risk for developing prediabetes or diabetes over 5 years of follow-up for British adults , according to findings published in Diabetic Medicine.
“Timing of food intake and fasting periods affects the circadian rhythms of metabolic organs, and experimental data from animal studies suggest promising effects of timing of dietary intake on metabolic functions,” Kristine Færch, PhD, a senior scientist in clinical epidemiology at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen in Denmark, and colleagues wrote. “Whether timing of food intake is related to long-term changes in glucose metabolism is not known.”
Færch and colleagues analyzed data from 2,642 British civil service members (mean age, 60.2 years; 26.1% women; mean BMI for men, 26 kg/m2; mean BMI for women, 25.9 kg/m2) who took part in the Whitehall II study. Participants without prediabetes or diabetes were recruited between 2002 and 2004 and followed for 5 years. At first study visit, HbA1c was measured following an overnight fast, and the time of last meal or snack consumed the night before was self-reported. These measures were also taken at the 5-year follow up.
During the course of the study, 769 participants were diagnosed with prediabetes, which was defined as a HbA1c level of between 39 mmol/mol and 47 mmol/mol. In addition, there were 106 participants diagnosed with diabetes, which was defined by HbA1c of at least 48 mmol/mol. The researchers observed a non-statistically significant trend between when food was last consumed on a given day and HbA1c. Despite this potential influence on HbA1c, the researchers said that nighttime meal timing did not significantly affect prediabetes and diabetes development. However, the likelihood of developing prediabetes or diabetes was higher for women with baseline HbA1c of no more than 36 mmol/mol who ate after 9 p.m. the night before testing (OR = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.16-1.93) compared with women who last ate earlier (P = .003).
“Differences in food patterns between men and women are common, and we have previously observed sex-specific associations between lifestyle factors and glucose regulation in the Whitehall II cohort, supporting these findings,” the researchers wrote. “Whether late-evening food consumption disturbs circadian rhythm differently in men and women needs further investigation.” – by Phil Neuffer
Disclosures: Færch and another study author report research grants from AstraZeneca.