Tuesday 20 September 2022 05:23 AM 'Night owls' are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes trends now

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Staying up late at night can cause fat to build up in a person's body, and put them at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes as a result, a new study finds.

Researchers at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, found that night owls were at an increased risk of developing the life-altering condition because of the impact their abnormal sleep schedule has on their metabolism.

People who wake up earlier in the day are more likely to use fat as an energy source when resting or exercising than their counterparts. As a result, fat build-ups are less likely among 'early birds' - making disease less likely as well.

This study adds to an increasing body of research linking sleep timing and environment to the development of diabetes. A Northwestern University study published earlier this year found that having a light source present while sleeping could increase a person's risk of developing the disease that affects around ten percent of Americans.

'The differences in fat metabolism between 'early birds' and 'night owls' shows that our body's circadian rhythm (wake/sleep cycle) could affect how our bodies use insulin,' Dr Steven Malin, an assistant professor at Rutgers who focuses on metabolism, said in a statement.

'A sensitive or impaired ability to respond to the insulin hormone has major implications for our health. This observation advances our understanding of how our body's circadian rhythms impact our health.'

Researchers, who published their findings Tuesday in Experimental Physiology, gathered data from 51 participants for the study.

They were split into two groups based on what the scientists described as a 'chronotype' - a person's likelihood to be active at a certain time.

Half of which were considered 'early birds', those who often woke up early morning and went to sleep earlier in the night.