Introduction: Late-evening food intake associates with metabolic risk. We assessed the prevalence of late-evening and night-time eating in individuals with type 2 diabetes and its association with BMI and HbA1c.
Methods: This cross-sectional analysis includes 348 individuals with type 2 diabetes from an outpatient diabetes clinic in Denmark. Frequency of late-evening and night-time eating was assessed from a food frequency questionnaire and clinical data were obtained from electronic medical records. Participants were divided into those reporting to eat frequently (≥3 times/week) during the evening after dinner and/or night (late-eaters) and those who did not (reference) and BMI and HbA1c were compared between groups with and without adjustment for diabetes duration and antidiabetic medication.
Results: Forty-two% reported to eat frequently (≥3 times/week) during late evening and 8% reported to do so during the night (Figure 1). Most late-eaters reported to eat breakfast regularly suggesting a long eating window and short fasting period. BMI and HbA1c did not differ between late-eaters and the reference group (Figure 1).
Conclusion: Eating late was prevalent among individuals with type 2 diabetes across BMI and HbA1c levels. Whether restriction of eating during evening and night-time can induce weight loss and improve glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes needs testing in randomized controlled trials.
J.S. Quist: None. M.B. Blond: None. K. Færch: None. B. Ewers: None.
Steno Diabetes Center
