Mealtime discovery helps 50-year-olds avoid diabetes

More ways to prevent diabetes

The study, conducted by scientists from Columbia University Hospital in New York (USA) and the University of Catalonia - Barcelona in Spain, included 26 participants aged 50 to 70, who were overweight or obese and had prediabetes.

Participants were divided into 2 groups:

• The group eats dinner early, eating mostly before dinner.
• Late dinner group: Eat a lot after 5 p.m. - 45% or more of calories.

Both groups consumed the same amount of calories and the same foods, but at different times of the day. Participants wore wearable devices to record their meals in real time. The authors compared the participants' glucose tolerance.

The results found that people who ate dinner late had poorer glucose tolerance, regardless of their weight or the composition of their diet. The study also found that they tended to eat more carbohydrates and fat in the evening.

Specifically, consuming more than 45% of daily calories after 5 p.m. increases sugar levels, causing negative health consequences, regardless of weight and body fat, according to EurokAlert.

Pay attention to the time of day you eat

Long-term high blood sugar can cause harmful effects such as increasing the risk of developing diabetes, increasing cardiovascular risk because high blood sugar levels damage blood vessels and increase chronic inflammation, which worsens cardiovascular and metabolic damage, said lead author Dr. Diana Díaz Rizzolo, member of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Catalonia.

The importance of the study is that it shows that the time of day when you eat can affect your sugar metabolism, regardless of your daily calorie intake and your weight and body fat.

The body's ability to metabolize sugar is limited at night, because insulin secretion is reduced and insulin sensitivity is also reduced due to circadian rhythms, explains Dr. Rizzolo.

This study found a new factor in cardiometabolic health: meal timing. And this is becoming increasingly important, said Dr. Díaz Rizzolo.

Dr. Díaz Rizzolo recommends focusing on eating mostly during the day and that the highest calorie intake should be at breakfast and lunch.

Dr. Díaz Rizzolo also recommends avoiding ultra-processed products, fast foods, and foods high in carbohydrates, especially at night.