Does Food Timing Affect Diabetes?

Consuming food does impact glucose regulation. Given that you take your prescriptions on time, does the timing of your meal intake really matter?

What about the cultures in Europe that want a bigger noon meal? When is the best time to eat to maintain optimal glycemic control?

Glycemic Management

For glycemic control, regular meals and snacks are undoubtedly the ideal. This idea has been known for a long time. Three meals a day, spaced four to five hours apart, at the same or nearly identical times of day, are the recommended standard of care.

Maintaining a consistent schedule for your meals and medications will help you control your blood sugar levels better throughout the day, as shown by improvements in your HbA1c and insulin sensitivity over time.

A daily meal plan would look something like this: breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m., lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., and dinner from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Generally speaking, each of these meals should contain 60 grams of carbohydrates, although this should be customized in consultation with a Registered Dietitian (RD) or Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). For those using long-acting insulin, a bedtime snack of 15–30 grams of carbohydrates is necessary to prevent hypoglycemia at night.

Those who work night shifts or have other lifestyle factors that interfere with a “regular” schedule may find this challenging. Once more, find out what can work for you by consulting with an RD or CDE.

Satiation and hunger

You can stay content by eating on a regular basis and in little, frequent mini-meals. Overeating during the following meal is the inevitable result of skipping meals in an attempt to lose weight.

There may be periods of hunger in between the three major meals that are traditionally eaten each day. When compared to individuals who were served a bigger evening meal, human subjects who were offered a larger morning meal showed considerably higher hunger scores. Being aware of one’s sensations of satiety is crucial.

You can control how much you eat by being aware of whether you are actually hungry or full. Anyone who has trouble limiting how much food they eat during a meal might benefit from eating slowly and more deliberately.

Energy Balance

Similar to glycemic management, regular meal timings help to balance and maintain energy levels. Your circadian cycle for sleep is comparable to your needs for food, glucose, and subsequently energy. Energy levels and regular meal schedules are related, particularly in diabetes where glucose requirements are more specific.

Loss of Weight

The long-held notion that eating habits have an impact on one’s weight is supported by more recent studies. Eating after midnight increases the risk of weight gain, obesity, and adiposity.

When humans and animals are fed during the “wrong” times—that is, in the dark—a greater amount of fat tissue is deposited for storage. Timing meals during the day has been shown to affect weight loss treatments as well as obesity.

The Mediterranean cultural norm of a larger midday meal is linked to a healthier weight status than a larger evening meal if it is consumed during the light hours. This was true regardless of total calorie intake. Regardless of the total number of calories consumed, late eaters lose less weight than early eaters.

The circadian rhythm

It is well established that circadian rhythms govern sleep patterns, with darkness being the most conducive to natural sleep. Our organ systems, including the stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver, and even adipose/fat tissue, have a natural daily rhythm, according to more recent study.

Additionally, the organ systems synchronize with one another and are entirely reliant on food consumption. As an illustration, the mouth releases salivary amylase in reaction to food consumption.

The pancreas releases insulin, the intestines absorb nutrition, the liver releases bile, and the stomach performs gastric emptying. Everything is interconnected like a well-oiled machine. These organ systems can operate at their best when food intake is regulated on a regular basis.

Other Hormone Regulation

The hormone leptin, which is generated by adipocytes, or fat cells, regulates appetite. Regular daytime eating patterns have been linked to lower levels of cravings and hunger via regulating the production of leptin, according to research.

Read Also: Diabetes and Stress

The gastrointestinal tract secretes the hormone gherlin, which is also important in controlling hunger. Frequent daytime feeding stabilizes gerlin levels. Reducing food consumption and observable changes in body weight and weight-related metrics (body mass index, abdominal circumference, and body fat percentage) are the outcomes of hormonal stabilization, which also stabilizes hunger.

DiabetesCouncils Article | Reviewed by Dr. Sergii Vasyliuk MD on June 02, 2020

Citations

1. American Diabetes Association (ADA) – http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/recently-diagnosed/where-do-i-begin/choosing-what-to-eat.html
   
   
2. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) – https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/diabetes-diet-eating
   
   
3. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – 2005; 81: 16-24, H.R. Farshchi et al.
   
   
4. Physiology and Behavior – 2014; 10.116, M. Garaulet & P. Gómez-Abellán.
   
   
5. Advances in Nutrition – 2015 Mar; 6(2): 214–223, S. Soferet al.