Are you a night owl or an early bird? Our daily activities and sleep habits may affect our chances of suffering from diseases such as 2 diabetes and heart disease . A recent study published in the journal Experimental Physiology found that the wake/sleep cycle changes our body’s preference for energy sources and leads to metabolic differences.
According to the study, those who stay up late have a reduced ability to burn fat to get energy, which means that fat may accumulate in the body and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The difference in
metabolic is related to how each group of people effectively utilize insulin to promote cells to ingest glucose for storage and energy consumption. People who are used to getting up early or who like to be active in the morning rely more on fat as an energy source and are more active during the day than "night owls" and have higher levels of cardio fitness . In contrast, "night owls" (those who prefer to be active later in the day and at night) use less fat as energy while resting and exercising.
Researchers from Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA divided participants (n=51) into two groups (morning and evening) based on their "time type" - our natural tendency to seek activity and sleep at different times. They use advanced imaging techniques to evaluate body mass and body composition, as well as insulin sensitivity and respiratory samples to measure fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
researchers monitored participants for a week to evaluate their activity patterns throughout the day. They eat a calorie and nutritionally controlled diet and must fast for one night to minimize the impact of their diet on results. To study calorie consumption preferences, they were all tested at rest and then completed two 15-minute exercises: one moderate and one high-intensity exercise on the treadmill. Aerobic fitness levels were tested by the bevel challenge, which increased by 2.5% every two minutes until participants reached the fatigue point.
Researchers found that early risers use more fat as energy than night owls when resting and exercising, and are more sensitive to insulin. Night owls, on the other hand, have insulin resistance, which means their bodies need more insulin to lower blood sugar levels, and their bodies prefer carbohydrates as energy sources rather than fat.
This population has impaired response to insulin to promote energy use, which can be harmful because it indicates a greater risk of type 2 diabetes and/or heart disease. The reasons for this metabolic preference shift between early birds and night owls are not clear and further investigation is needed.
Senior author, Professor Stephen Marin of Rutgers University in New Jersey, said. "The difference in fat metabolism between 'early birds' and 'night owls' suggests that our body's circadian rhythm (awake/sleep cycle) may affect how our body uses insulin. Sensitive or impaired response to insulin hormones has a significant impact on our health. This observation advances our understanding of how the body's circadian rhythm affects our health. Because time types seem to affect our metabolism and hormone effects, we suggest that time types can be a factor in predicting individual disease risks."
He continued: "We also found that early birds love exercise more than night owls and have higher physical fitness levels because night owls are sedentary all day long. Further research is needed to examine the link between temporal, exercise and metabolic adaptation to determine whether there is greater health benefits to exercise earlier in the day."
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