Eating an Early Breakfast May Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes - Health.com

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Eating an earlier breakfast may help lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.

Many people may be tempted to skip breakfast in the mornings, but new research shows that making time for breakfast—and eating it earlier in the day—might include essential health benefits.

The study, published last month in the International Journal of Epidemiology, found that those who routinely ate an earlier breakfast—specifically before 8 AM—were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who ate breakfast after 9 AM.

Similarly, study participants who tended to eat later dinners—especially past 9 PM or 10 PM—had a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes than those who ate dinner earlier in the day.

The relationship between type 2 diabetes risk and meal timing was consistent even when other factors were discounted, explained Anna Palomar-Cros, PhD, MPH, study author and postdoctoral researcher at ISGlobal Barcelona Institute for Global Health.  

“These results were independent of multiple variables including the education, the diet quality, or the levels of physical activity of the participants,” she told Health. “Beyond the nutritional quality of the diet, having an early first meal may be associated with a lower incidence of [type 2 diabetes].”

If the link is confirmed by more research, Palomar-Cros said, it could “lead to promising lifestyle interventions.”

This could be a helpful strategy, especially since 1.3 billion people are expected to have diabetes by 2050.

Here’s what experts had to say about the link between meal timing and type 2 diabetes risk, and how the body's internal clock can play a role in our health.

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Diet quality and quantity are frequently studied when it comes to diabetes, so researchers wanted to look a bit closer at meal timing.

Palomar-Cros and her team looked at data from 103,312 adults involved in a large French study cohort. Almost 80% were women, and the average age at baseline was about 43 years old.

The meal timings and frequency were recorded in 24-hour dietary records for the first two years of the study. After an average 7-year follow-up, the researchers analyzed meal timing, number of meals, and fasting time overnight to see if any had a relationship with type 2 diabetes.

Over the course of the study, 963 people developed type 2 diabetes; their dietary records looked different than those who didn’t develop the disease. People who habitually ate breakfast after 9AM had a notably higher incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, people who ate dinner earlier had a slightly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. There was also a slightly lower disease risk in people who had a higher number of eating occasions, eating six or seven times a day versus just two or three.

A longer overnight fasting time—the time between someone’s last meal of one day and first meal of the next—only had an effect on diabetes risk when it was also associated with an early meal time, Palomar-Cros explained. 

“A night-time fasting of more than 13 hours would be associated with a lower [type 2 diabetes] incidence only when fasting is broken at 8AM or before,” she said. 

This would suggest that popular intermittent fasting strategies where people don’t eat until late morning or midday could actually be harmful to those looking to avoid type 2 diabetes, said Palomar-Cros.

The connection between breakfast time and type 2 diabetes risk bolsters the idea that eating and the body’s natural rhythms have a unique relationship. It’s usually only discussed in the context of sleep, but the body’s circadian rhythm and people’s food intake can have a significant impact on health.

“Circadian rhythms are involved in virtually all functions of the body and are regulated by the circadian clock, which is mainly synchronized by light but also by food,” Palomar-Cros said. “The correct functioning of this system is crucial to ensure an optimal metabolism.”

Previous research has found that the body’s circadian rhythm can control glucose, insulin, glucose tolerance, and appetite. These systems tend to peak in the morning, making it a better time for people to eat.

According to Mia Zhu, MPH, RD, certified diabetes care and education specialist at Duke Health, your hormones tell your liver to release sugar into the bloodstream when you wake up.

Eating shortly after waking up triggers hormones such as insulin, said Zhu, which then helps move sugar into cells and out of the bloodstream.

High blood sugar is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes, which is why people with the condition are encouraged to eat a daily breakfast.

Meal timing aside, simply prioritizing eating breakfast might be a good way for people to lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. One study found that when people eat a daily breakfast, they're less likely to develop metabolic syndrome symptoms such as high blood pressure and high blood sugar. 

“Your mom told you to eat your breakfast when you were a kid—it still holds true today,” said Zhu. “It is the most important meal of the day.”

More research is still needed to see if meal times and circadian rhythms might change based on seasonal differences or different regions across the globe, or if there’s some sort of other underlying factor connecting type 2 diabetes and meal timing, Palomar-Cros said. 

It’s also possible that the study results may have looked a bit different if there was an equal gender breakdown between men and women in the study cohort, since men have slightly different hormones and circadian rhythms.

Eating an earlier breakfast may be one possible way to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, but it’s certainly not the only one. 

For one, getting regular exercise is a great way to reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Palomar-Cros and Zhu agreed. 

Current guidelines suggest that people should be getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, in addition to two instances of activity that strengthens muscle. Intensity levels will vary for each person, but the goal is that people get their heart rate up—try walking briskly, riding a bike, playing tennis, swimming, or jogging.

It’s also important that people pay attention to what nutrients they're putting in their body. Palomar-Cros recommends reaching for non-starchy vegetables such as peppers, broccoli, or mushrooms, as well as fruit, lean sources of protein, and whole grains like quinoa. It’s best to avoid sweetened beverages, highly-processed foods, and trans fats if possible, she added. 

These lifestyle changes may take time. But committing to eating an earlier breakfast—or just eating breakfast in general—is a good place to start.

“If you're struggling with eating breakfast, something is better than nothing,” Zhu said. “Don't think of it as a first meal of the day, but maybe a snack. Grab a piece of fruit and some nuts, or a string cheese, or even just a yogurt as you go out the door.”

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