For those of us that want more control over our blood-sugar, did you know that our ability to handle sugar (“glucose tolerance”) goes down over the day? This means that the same amount of sugar eaten at 8am and eaten at 8pm causes a different fluctuation of blood sugar. The 8pm sugar dose may actually cause twice the response that the 8am dose does!
This can mean:
- A person who tests normal for diabetes in the morning, may not test normal mid-day. Something to consider if tested negative for diabetes but still have issues.
- Eating sugary foods at night creates a bigger sugar spike than if it had been eaten earlier in the day. So if you’re definitely going to eat sugar, have it early.
- Eating more food earlier in the day is actually better, since most carbohydrates convert to sugar. “Feast like a king in the morning and a pauper at evening”
- Breakfast skippers appear to be at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and have higher rates of heart disease/atherosclerosis in general. In a randomized test, breakfast skippers had about 10 point higher LDL (bad) cholesterol.
- Eating more calories earlier may have benefits! (better weight management, more weight loss, better blood-sugar control, and lower heart disease risks. On that note, it may be wiser to skip dinner than breakfast.
