Blood Sugar and Your Internal Clock

You’ve heard it before, “Late dinners are bad for your health,” but do you actually know why? Recent research has strengthened the link between blood sugar and your internal clock, helping to explain why late dinners are potentially detrimental to your overall health.
A few definitions to consider first:

• Glucose Tolerance: The ability to regulate blood-sugar levels 

• Diabetes: A metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevation levels of glucose in the blood
  ​
  

In a study led by researchers from Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), 14 healthy individuals were closely monitored with the ultimate goal of explaining why glucose tolerance is lower at dinner than at breakfast. Researchers measured the independent influences that behavioral factors (mealtimes, sleep), the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) and misalignment between these two components had on a person’s ability to control blood-sugar levels. To put things in real-world perspective, the team reported its findings with implications for shift workers and for the general public.

Read More