Research

Hormonal

Circadian misalignment, such as that experienced during shift work or social jet lag, causally impairs glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, thereby increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

If you work shifts or have irregular sleep schedules, prioritize managing light exposure and meal timing. Try to eat during your 'biological day' (when you are naturally alert) rather than your 'biological night'. If you must eat at night, be aware that glucose tolerance is impaired. On days off, try to keep your sleep/wake times closer to your workdays to minimize social jet lag.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Accumulating epidemiological studies have demonstrated significant associations between circadian disruption-related lifestyles and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (e.g. shift work has been associated with a 10–40% increased risk of diabetes)... these experimental findings corroborate those from epidemiological studies on shift work and provide causal evidence for the contribution of circadian misalignment to adverse glycaemic outcomes.
Ivy C. Mason et al. · Diabetologia · 2020

Why this rating

Supported by both robust epidemiological data and controlled human experimental protocols (forced desynchrony, simulated shift work).

Source

Impact of circadian disruption on glucose metabolism: implications for type 2 diabetes

Ivy C. Mason et al. · Diabetologia · 2020

DOI 10.1007/s00125-019-05059-6

narrative_reviewCited 347×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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