Study finds people with diabetes who eat fewer processed foods at night may live longer, and eating carbs earlier in the day is linked to better heart health.
The time of day people with diabetes eat certain foods may be just as important to their well-being as portion size and calories, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Meal times should be in line with the biological clock, a natural internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats itself every 24 hours. Health outcomes for people with diabetes can be improved if certain foods are eaten at different times of the day.
“We found that eating potatoes in the morning, whole grains in the afternoon, vegetables and milk in the evening, and less processed meat in the evening was associated with better long-term survival in people with diabetes,” said Qingrao Song, MD, of Harbin Medical University in Harbin, China. “Nutritional guidelines and intervention strategies for diabetes must integrate optimal times of food consumption in the future.”
The researchers analyzed data on 4,642 people with diabetes from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine their risk of dying from heart disease. They found that people with diabetes who ate potatoes or starchy vegetables in the morning, whole grains in the afternoon, and dark vegetables such as greens, broccoli, and milk in the evening were less likely to die of heart disease. Those who ate a lot of processed meat at night were more likely to die of heart disease.
Reference: “The association of time of food consumption with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality among patients with diabetes” 15 Mar 2022, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Other authors of this study include: Wenbo Jiang, Jia Zhang, Yunyan Chen, Hongyan Jiang, Yujia Long, Ying Li, Tianshu Han, Hongru Sun, and Wei Wei from Harbin Medical University.
The study received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
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