Features of diurnal glycemic dynamics in male patients with different chronotypes

Abstract

Introduction. The specific arrangement of circadian rhythms of physiological functions inherent to a given individual, referred to as chronotype, is determined not only by the alternation of cycles of rest and activity but also by the characteristics of eating behavior. However, aspects concerning the correlations between chronotype and food preferences, diet volume and contents in adults remain insufficiently studied, in particular, how chronotype is linked to the mechanisms that maintain glucose levels in the body. Aim. Analysis of glycemic variability (GV) parameters in men with different chronotypes while maintaining their regular diet. Materials and methods. The study included 43 male volunteers aged 25–65 years. The Horne and Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire was used to determine the chronotype. The nature and severity of eating behavior (EB) disorders were assessed using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). The severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Glucose levels were continuously monitored for 5–6 days, with data from two full days, during which the research subjects maintained their regular diet, were used for interpretation. Results. The distribution of chronotypes within the sample was as follows: 51,2% of participants had morning chronotype, 25,6% – intermediate chronotype, and 23,3% – evening chronotype. Men with evening chronotype had statistically significantly higher emotional EB scores than those with morning and intermediate chronotypes. Meanwhile, the severity of external EB in those with evening chronotype was significantly lower than in the other two groups. A comparative assessment of the parameters and indices reflecting GV during the day and night hours showed that men with the morning and evening chronotypes differed significantly from those with intermediate chronotype across a number of criteria. Specifically, intermediate chronotype was characterized by statistically significantly lower values of the mean glucose concentration, standard deviation of glycemia, CONGA, and J-index. The values of the parameters of GV characterizing GV during the night hours also showed significant differences between the intermediate chronotype group and the morning and evening chronotype groups. Conclusion. Personal chronotype is one of the factors determining the specific regulatory mechanisms of carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, this characteristic must be taken into account when stratifying the risk of type 2 diabetes, which, according to the data obtained in this study, increases in the following sequence of chronotypes: intermediate type → morning type → evening type.