Chronotype is the attitude of a subject in determining individual circadian preference
in behavioral and biological rhythm relative to the external light-dark cycle. There
are three general categories: morning (MC), evening (EC) and intermediate (IC) chronotypes.
MC (the so called “lark”) prefers activities earlier in the day, while EC (the so
called “owl”) usually prefers to time peak activity during the late afternoon or evening
and has a tendency to have more healthy problems compared to MC. IC is in an intermediate
position between MC and EC. The aim of the study was to investigate the association
of chronotype categories with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases
(CVD) in 80 post-menopausal women (60.7 ± 8.2 years; BMI: 31.7 ± 5.6 kg/m2; waist to hip ratio (WHR): 0.90 ± 0.07) . We assessed anthropometric parameters (BMI,
WHR), adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) using Predimed Score, chronotype using
Morning-Evening Questionnaire and the presence of T2DM and CVD. Chronotype was classified
as MC in 61% of subjects, EC in 20% and IC in 19%. No significant differences were
detected in terms of BMI and WHR among the 3 categories. Subjects with EC had a significant
lower adherence to MD compared to IC (4.8 ± 3.9 vs 6.7 ± 6.0; p=0.01, respectively)
and MC (4.8 ± 3.9 vs 8.7 ± 8.1; p= < 0.01, respectively). Also subjects with IC had
a significant lower adherence to MD assessed as PREDIMED score compared to MC (6.7
± 6.0 vs 8.7 ± 8.1; p= < 0.01, respectively). Chronotype score was positively correlated
with PREDIMED score (r=0.72; p< 0.01), i.e. the more the subjects had a tendency to
wake up early and prefers activities earlier in the day the more they were adherent
to the MD. Subjects with EC had a significant higher prevalence of T2DM compared to
IC (38% vs 7%; p=0.03, respectively) and MC (38% vs. 10%; p= 0.01, respectively).
Subjects with EC had significant higher prevalence of CVD compared to MC (56% vs 28%;
p= 0.04, respectively). In conclusion although there was not difference in terms of
BMI between the 3 categories, EC was associated with an increased risk of T2DM and
CVD and with a low adherence to the MD in post-menopausal women. A careful assessment
of the chronotype in menopause might allow tailored cardiometabolic prevention advices
promoting an alignment of daily activities according their circadian rhythm in subjects
with EC.
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© 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc.