Want to Lower Your Odds of Diabetes? Avoid Breakfast After This Time As Delaying Could Spike the Risk by 59%, According to a New Study

A recent study advises against late breakfast consumption as it could increase diabetes risk by 59%.

Currently, around 37.3 million people, or 11.3% of the U.S. population, have diabetes, with several million more believed to be susceptible to the disease.

This chronic condition results in excessively high levels of blood sugar.

The vast majority of diabetes cases, about 90 percent, are type 2, which is significantly more prevalent than type 1.

While the cause of type 1 is yet to be determined, type 2 diabetes is generally induced by factors such as obesity or inadequate physical activity, though it can also be hereditary.

Recent studies, however, have highlighted the possible influence of breakfast timing on the condition.

Research, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, indicated that individuals consuming breakfast post 9am faced a 59 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes as compared to those who ate before 8am.

Prior studies had established a correlation between unhealthy diet and diabetes, but not the timing of meals and the disease.

Anna Palomar-Cros, the lead author of the study, commented, “We know that meal timing plays a key role in regulating circadian rhythms and glucose and lipid control, but few studies have investigated the relationship between meal timing or fasting and type 2 diabetes.”

In this study, French and Spanish researchers analyzed data from 103,312 French adults to explore the relationship between meal timing and frequency and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes.

Participants filled out online dietary logs detailing their food and beverage intake over 24 hours for three non-consecutive days, including meal timings.

The researchers then averaged the first two years’ dietary logs and evaluated participants’ health over an average period of seven years.

During this duration, there were 963 newly diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes.

Crucially, the probability of developing the disease was markedly higher among those who consistently had breakfast post 9 a.m., relative to those who ate before 8am.

Palomar-Cros explained, “Biologically, this makes sense, as skipping breakfast is known to affect glucose and lipid control, as well as insulin levels. This is consistent with two meta-analyses that conclude that skipping breakfast increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.”

The study also noted a higher risk of type 2 diabetes among individuals who ate dinner late – post 10pm. Conversely, eating more often (about five times a day) seemed to decrease the risk.

Manolis Kogevinas, the study’s co-author, stated: “Our results suggest that a first meal before 8am and a last meal before 7pm may help reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes.”

Interestingly, the same team from Spain had previously provided evidence suggesting that an early dinner could reduce the risk of breast or prostate cancer.

Health experts suggest that regular physical activity, a balanced diet, and weight loss (for those overweight) are effective ways to reduce diabetes risk.

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