people who sleep late are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease than those who wake up earlyrevealed a recent study.
According to the report published on the Spring website, a person’s chronotype has an impact on a number of diseases such as metabolic syndromea condition that increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.
The chronotype it is related to circadian rhythms and is the body’s natural tendency to sleep or remain alert during a 24-hour period.
The chronotypes early are those individuals who prefer to get up early and do their activity in the morning, while the late chronotypes they are those who stay up late and are active later in the day.
The study suggests that our body’s metabolism and preferred energy source are influenced by the sleep-wake cycle.
Our bodies use fat for fuel, but the efficiency of converting fat to energy is lower in late chronotypes, and fat accumulation puts late chronotypes at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
People who remain active during the last hours burn less fat even during exercisewhile people who get up early ttend to use more fat for energy, either at rest or during physical activity.
For this study, the participants based on their chronotype were divided into two groups. Their body composition, body mass, and insulin sensitivity were examined to determine carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
The participants followed a standardized diet and fasted overnight, while their activity patterns were tracked during the day for a week. They also did two 15-minute sessions of moderate and high intensity exercise.
The results showed that those who were ‘night owls’ burned less fat for energy during exercise and rest than ‘early risers’. They were also insulin resistant, which means their bodies don’t react well to blood glucose.
Therefore, their bodies need more glucose and prefer carbohydrates to fats for energy, putting them at higher risk of developing diabetes and obesity.
