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Study reveals link between diabetes and sleep patterns in older women

Monday 16th November 2015
New research shows sleeping too little or too much can increase the risk of diabetes in older women.
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A new study has revealed a link between diabetes and sleeping patterns in middle-aged and older women. 

Research carried out by American doctors revealed women who get too little or too much sleep could be at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

Increasing sleep duration by two or more hours over a period of several years was found to boost diabetes risk by 15 per cent, while those people who sleep for six hours or less per day were also revealed to have a higher chance of developing the condition.

The study, which has been published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, stated: "Decreases in sleep duration have modest, adverse associations with diet quality and physical activity, while increases in sleep duration have modest, adverse associations with weight gain."

Many of the women who slept for longer in older age were found to have been shorter sleepers earlier in life, suggesting that sleeping for longer in old age may not compensate for not sleeping enough when young.

The study was based on more than 59,000 US-based women aged between 55 and 83. Further research into the link between diabetes and sleep patterns is ongoing. 

This research has coincided with a study that has revealed people with high levels of diet diversity may be more at risk of contracting diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found that people who eat a wider variety of foods tend to have a lower quality diet than those who consistently consume similar foods. 

People in the latter group were found to have a 25 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Assistant professor Marcia de Oliveira Otto, lead author of the study, stated: "Participants with greater diversity in their diets, as measured by dissimilarity, actually had worse diet quality. They were eating less healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and more unhealthy foods, such as processed meats, desserts and soda."ADNFCR-1780-ID-801805744-ADNFCR

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