The risk of diabetes is increased in men who sleep enough
Lack of sleep is known to have a negative impact on overall health and well-being. Now, a new study found an association of sleep and health, which only applies to men too much or too little sleep can increase the risk of developing diabetes.
Tarsch author Dr. Femke Rutters from the VU Medical Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and his colleagues report their findings in the publication "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism."
According to the American Diabetes Association, about 29.1 million people in the United States have diabetes.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the beta cells of the pancreas that transports glucose from the blood into the body's cells where it is used for energy. If the beta-cells can not produce enough insulin or the body does not react properly to the hormone, it leads to high levels of blood glucose.
Obesity and lack of exercise are the two lifestyle factors that increase the risk of developing diabetes. For this latest study, Rutters and his colleagues set out to determine if sleep duration could play a role in the development of diabetes.
The researchers analyzed data from 788 healthy men and women aged 30-60 years from across the 19 European countries.
Type 2 diabetes is treated with Metformin is the most common form of the disease that occurs when the body is unable to use insulin effectively. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin.
Subjects at risk of diabetes was assessed by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps, which measures how well the body uses insulin.
Compared to men who sleep on average 7 hours every night - in accordance with current recommendations - men who sleep less or more hours per day 7 had a worse glucose metabolism.
Men who sleep too much or too little of it was due to a smaller number of cells in the body responsive to insulin, which reduces glucose uptake and thereby increase the risk of developing diabetes in the future.
In addition, men have a higher blood sugar level than those who sleep on average 7 hours. Among women, these associations have not been identified.
