Turns out, people with Type II diabetes who eat breakfast later, are more likely to have a higher Body Mass Indices (BMI). According to a study conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago, an 'evening person' is linked to higher body mass indices among people with Type II diabetes, and having breakfast later in the day seems to be what drives this association.
Obesity is common among people with Type II diabetes. Having an evening preference - waking up later and going to bed later - has been linked to an increased risk for obesity, but research is lacking regarding this phenomenon among people with Type II diabetes. Researchers, led by Sirimon Reutrakul, wanted to determine if morning or evening preference among people with Type II diabetes was associated with an increased risk for higher BMI and if so, what specific factors about evening preference contributed to the increased risk.
Researchers recruited 210 non-shift workers living in Thailand with Type II diabetes for their study. Morning/evening preference was assessed using a questionnaire that focused on preferred time for waking up and going to bed; time of day spent exercising; and time of day spent engaged in a mental activity (working, reading, etc.). Participants with morning preference ate breakfast between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., while participants with evening preference ate breakfast between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. Participants with morning preference had earlier meal timing, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and the last meal.
The researchers found that having more evening preference was associated with higher BMI. Caloric intake and lunch and dinner times were not associated with having a higher BMI. Morning preference was associated with earlier breakfast time and lower BMI by 0.37 kg/m2. Researchers speculated that later meal times may misalign the internal biological clock, which plays a role in circadian regulation. The findings from the study are published in the journal Diabetic Medicine.
