In the last 20 years, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled — the CDC says that about 38 million adults in the US have the disease and that type 2 accounts for 90 to 95% of all cases.
Common risk factors for type 2 diabetes include obesity, family history, and age.
Sugary drinks and processed foods are also linked to type 2 diabetes, but experts say it’s not only what you eat, but when you eat.
A study published in Nutrition and Diabetes found people who eat 45% or more of their daily calorie intake after 5 p.m. had lower glucose tolerance. Over time, that can negatively impact metabolism and BMI.
Dr. Hariom Yadav says that “the gut influences very heavily of our whole-body physiology.”
Skipping breakfast four to five days a week is also linked with a 55% increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The journal of nutrition says not eating a morning meal can impact blood glucose levels and can also increase eating later in the day.
Tara Collingwood, a registered dietitian says that “if you don’t eat, your body conserves and says ‘I need energy. where is the energy?’ and it can lower your metabolism.”
Poor sleep is also strongly linked to type 2 diabetes — according to National Institutes of Health, sleep is essential to control hormones, including several connected to glucose metabolism.
NIH also says that women who deliver a baby weighing at least nine pounds have a 20% higher chance of developing diabetes later in life.