To Greatly Reduce Diabetes Risk... Start Breakfast Before This Time

Preventive Effects of Diseases Confirmed According to Meal Times
Breakfast Before 8 AM, Dinner Before 7 PM

A study has found that eating breakfast before 8 a.m. reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

On the 19th (local time), health media 'Medical Express' reported that Anna Palomar-Cross and her research team at the Spanish Global Health Institute, in collaboration with the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, announced these findings. The study was published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology, the official journal of the International Epidemiological Association.

The researchers utilized data from 103,312 participants registered in the French 'Nutrition and Health Study.' They analyzed the number and timing of meals over three non-consecutive days and tracked health records over an average of 7.4 years. During this period, a total of 963 individuals were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Breakfast

The analysis revealed that even when eating the same breakfast, those who ate before 8 a.m. had a 59% lower incidence of diabetes compared to those who ate after 9 a.m. Additionally, individuals who ate breakfast before 8 a.m. and had their last meal before 7 p.m. also showed a lower incidence of diabetes.

Conversely, those who ate dinner after 10 p.m. were found to have an increased risk of diabetes. In other words, having breakfast before 8 a.m. and dinner before 7 p.m. significantly helps in preventing diabetes.

The number of meals per day also influenced the likelihood of developing diabetes. People who ate about five meals a day had a lower incidence of diabetes, with the risk decreasing by 5% for each additional meal.

However, prolonged fasting was not strongly associated with diabetes. Notably, individuals who fasted overnight for more than 13 hours and ate breakfast before 8 a.m. had a 53% lower incidence of diabetes.

Based on these findings, the researchers emphasized that "biologically, skipping breakfast is known to affect blood sugar and blood lipid management," and highlighted that this study demonstrates the effectiveness of so-called 'chrononutrition,' which plans meal strategies based on the 24-hour biological rhythm, in preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.