Prediabetes: Being a 'night owl' may lead to weight gain
New research has revealed that having a preference for evening activities, going to bed late, and not getting enough sleep may lead to weight gain among people with prediabetes.
Prediabetes affects around 84 million people in the United States.
That is, 1 in 3 U.S. individuals are living with the condition, and 90 percent of them are not aware that they have it.
In prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than what is considered normal, but not high enough to warrant a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes is a serious condition in its own right, putting people at risk of not only type 2 diabetes, but also stroke and heart disease.
Insufficient sleep or a disrupted sleep pattern are also known risk factors for obesity and diabetes. Previous research has suggested that being a "night owl," or having a preference for activities in the evening and going to bed late, raises the risk of being overweight, as well as having type 2 diabetes and dying prematurely.
So, researchers led by Dr. Sirimon Reutrakul, an associate professor of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism in the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, set out to examine whether being a night owl influenced body mass index (BMI) among people with prediabetes.
BMI is a measure of body fat in relation to a person's height and weight.
Thunyarat Anothaisintawee is the first author of the paper, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology.
