Short sleep duration linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes
A JAMA Network Open study reported that chronic short sleep duration correlated with an increased probability of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
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- Recently, JAMA Network Open published a study analyzing the association between a healthy diet, sleep duration, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. The study data revealed that habitual short sleep duration was linked to an increased probability of T2D by as much as 41%.
Using data on 247,867 individuals from the UK biobank, researchers divided patients into groups based on their sleeping habits. The stratified groups included normal (7–8 hours per night), mildly short (6 hours per night), moderately short (5 hours per night), and extremely short (3–4 hours per night).
Across all study participants, only 3.2% were diagnosed with T2D; however, the adjusted hazard ratios revealed that the prevalence of T2D was higher among shorter sleep groups. More specifically, the increased probability of T2D was identified in those who slept 5 hours or less per night. Those in the moderate short sleep group were 16% more likely to have a T2D diagnosis. Additionally, those in the extremely short sleep group had a 41% greater likelihood of being diagnosed with T2D.
In addition to sleep duration, researchers assessed how healthy dietary patterns impacted T2D risk. The participants’ dietary patterns were evaluated based on population-specific consumption of red meat, processed meats, fruits, vegetables, and fish. They received a score from 0 to 5, with 5 indicating the healthiest dietary patterns.
As expected, individuals with healthy dietary habits had a reduced prevalence of T2D, with a 25% lower risk than those with the worst eating habits.
The insights on dietary habits added to a plethora of data linking a healthy diet to reduced T2D risk. However, this study added additional information, revealing that a habitual short sleep duration was associated with an increased risk of T2D regardless of dietary habits and eating patterns.
This study suggests that sleep duration may be a critical indicator of T2D risk, adding to the many health effects associated with sleep. However, additional research, including longitudinal data and objective sleep measures, is necessary to validate the data.
