Night owls may be more prone to heart disease and diabetes, study finds - The Guardian

Night owls may be more prone to heart disease and diabetes than early birds because their bodies are less able to burn fat for energy, US researchers say.

The findings may help explain why night owls are at greater risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and may help doctors to identify patients early on who are more likely to develop the conditions.

Writing in Experimental Physiology, the team describe how early birds were more sensitive to blood levels of the hormone insulin and burned more fat than night owls while at rest and during exercise.

“Night owls are reported to have a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease when compared with early birds,” he said.