Association between Chronotype and Type 2 Diabetes: A Literature Review

Abstract

Chronotype is an individual attribute of a person regarding circadian rhythm. Past literature denotes that the evening chronotype individuals are more prone to obesity, sleep problems, unhealthy diet and lifestyles. This review investigates original research studies on association between chronotype and diabetes. Total 28 articles were reviewed which were published in four research databases. Evening or later chronotype was associated with diabetes and poor glycemic control. Dietary practices like breakfast skipping, percentage of calories consumed at night to total daily calories were found to partially mediate the association. There is need to study how several risk factors of diabetes and the circadian disruptors influence this association. The abstracts of the shortlisted articles were further studied and relevant articles were shortlisted. Finally, total 28 articles were selected for the review. Articles published in English language only were included. The decision to include or exclude a study; was taken by agreement of all authors.