People who sleep for less than six hours a night may have a 16 per cent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes even when they eat healthily, research suggests.
An analysis of data from nearly 250,000 UK adults suggests people sleeping three to four hours a night may have a 41 per cent higher risk of developing the condition compared with those who get more than seven hours. Five hours or so of sleep was associated with a 16 per cent higher risk.
The researchers said further study was needed but added that their work suggests healthy eating alone cannot compensate for sleep deprivation.
Christian Benedict, a researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden, said the findings “should not cause concern but instead be seen as a reminder that sleep plays an important role in health”.
He said: “I generally recommend prioritising sleep, although I understand it’s not always possible, especially as a parent of four teenagers.”
It is estimated that more than 4.4 million people in the UK are living with type 2 diabetes, which over time can cause serious damage, particularly to nerves and blood vessels.
For the study researchers looked at the health data of 247,867 adults in the UK Biobank, a database of the medical and lifestyle records of more than half a million people.
Their aim was to understand whether people who sleep too little can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by eating healthily. Over 12 years, 7,905 people were diagnosed with the condition.
Benedict said several factors could raise the risk for poor sleepers, such as “a sedentary lifestyle, diminished skeletal muscle function in regulating blood sugar levels, and unfavourable changes in gut microbiota [bacteria]”.
