Other scientific investigations have shown additional benefits of eating a healthy breakfast. Plus, the American Heart Association says that eating breakfast lowers the risk of heart disease , blood vessel diseases, and stroke. On the other hand, some research, such as evidence in an article published in May in the International Journal of Obesity , has suggested that skipping breakfast may have health benefits as a part of an intermittent fasting IF program.

Regardless, more studies are needed to know what benefits, for people at risk for diabetes or otherwise, IF may offer. RELATED: Is Intermittent Fasting Safe for People With Diabetes? Schlesinger and her coauthors wrote that a diet high in processed meat and low in whole-grain cereals are linked to a higher diabetes risk.

When it comes to recommending a healthy breakfast for people with diabetes, Rystrom suggests very moderate carb amounts combined with lean protein and vegetables, such as vegetable scramble with an egg and whole-grain toast, or plain Greek yogurt with blueberries , chopped nuts, and chia seeds.

She says that a bad breakfast for those with diabetes would be cereal made with refined not whole grains, milk, juice, and white bread. Although the review represented a large population, it was limited by including only six investigations from the United States and Asia, says Dr.

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Eating breakfast during this time can exacerbate the already elevated blood glucose levels, leading to potential blood sugar spikes and difficulty managing diabetes throughout the day.

It is essential for individuals combating diabetes to be mindful of their body's natural insulin responses and strive to eat meals at a time when their blood glucose levels are stable.

When one tends to skip breakfast, the body may continue to produce hormones like cortisol and glucagon, which can cause blood sugar levels to rise and also increase insulin resistance.

Further prolonged fasting or having the first meal around lunchtime can lead to hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar levels, especially if one is under the regular use of insulin to mitigate diabetes. This can lead to further symptoms like dizziness, lethargy or difficulty concentrating.

To avoid these potential complications, diabetics are encouraged to have a well-planned breakfast after monitoring their fasting blood sugar levels," says Dr Garg. Coming to the optimal time for diabetics to have breakfast, it is suggested that they have it one or two hours after waking up in the morning.

While a balanced and nutritious diet is recommended for people with diabetes, in case one needs to have a quick breakfast, here are the options suggested by Dr Garg:.

Diabetes: Eating breakfast at this time can spike your blood sugar; know best and worst breakfast time for diabetics By Parmita Uniyal , New Delhi.

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Morning represented the time with the third largest intakes of carbohydrates and proteins. For fats, instead, the third largest intake took place in the afternoon. Followed by the evening hours, most of the remaining alcohol was consumed in the afternoon and midday.

In the morning and night hours, instead, the mean alcohol intake was negligible. The hourly distributions of the macronutrients revealed that fat and protein intakes exhibited four peaks similar to those seen for energy intake Fig.

For carbohydrate intake, instead, a fifth smaller peak emerged at , suggesting an afternoon snack of relatively high carbohydrate content. Alcohol intake showed a gradual increase from late afternoon onwards, with the highest intakes at Individuals skipping breakfast were younger with shorter diabetes duration, and they had a higher mean reported blood glucose concentration, as compared to those who reported eating breakfast Table 3.

While the total energy intakes between the two groups were comparable, those skipping breakfast reported higher energy intake at night, afternoon, and evening Table 4. Visual inspection of the energy distribution throughout the day suggested that those skipping breakfast had relatively high energy intake during midday, afternoon, and evening, with multiple but shallower peaks Fig.

Moreover, compared to those eating breakfast, energy, carbohydrate, fat, and protein intakes peaked at an earlier hour in the midday, and at a later hour in the evening Fig.

Hourly distributions of energy and macronutrient intakes divided by breakfast consumption. A Energy intake by breakfast consumption. B Macronutrient intakes by breakfast consumption.

We then investigated whether skipping breakfast was associated with glycaemic control. Adjusted for sex, diabetes duration, smoking, energy intake, physical activity and mode of insulin administration, we observed that breakfast skipping was associated with reduced odds of achieving good glycaemic control Table 5.

Moreover, skipping breakfast was associated with higher mean of the reported blood glucose measurements adjusted means 8. The number of reported meals ranged from 3 to 20, with a median of 6 interquartile range from 5 to 8.

In this sample of Finnish adults with type 1 diabetes, a circadian eating pattern with four major peaks of energy intake, timed at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and evening meal, emerged.

While protein and fat intakes mirrored that of total energy intake, an additional smaller peak of carbohydrate intake was observed in the afternoon. Alcohol intake was most pronounced in the evening hours.

The overall circadian profile of the energy intake in those skipping breakfast differed significantly from those reporting energy intake in the morning hours. Of interest, the mean energy intake of the breakfast skippers remained at high levels throughout the rest of the day, leading to a total energy intake comparable to those who reported eating breakfast.

Importantly, breakfast skipping was associated with higher mean values of daily blood glucose measurements and lower odds of reaching good glycaemic control. A median of 6 daily meals was reported in the current study.

Higher number of reported meals was associated with higher variability of the blood glucose measurements but better glycaemic control, measured as mean of the reported blood glucose concentrations and HbA 1c. The question regarding the association between meal frequency and glycaemia has been addressed in a number of epidemiological studies among individuals with type 1 diabetes.

In one such study of adolescents with type 1 diabetes, similarly to the current observations, the reported number of meals was associated with lower HbA 1c 2. Øverby et al. investigated the dietary practices of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes 4.

In their analyses, those who skipped meals were observed to have higher odds of suboptimal HbA 1c. Among the participants in the intensive treatment arm of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, instead, together with adherence to the prescribed diet, prompt treatment of hyperglycaemia, and avoidance of overtreatment of hypoglycaemia, avoidance of extra snacks appeared beneficial Along with the epidemiological studies of meal frequency and glycaemia, the question has also been addressed in a number of interventional trials.

In these trials, energy intake is typically kept constant with the number of meals being the only difference between the treatments. In one such study, 15 normal-weight middle-aged men and women underwent two 8-week diet interventions during which they consumed all the energy for weight maintenance in either 1 or 3 daily meals In a randomised cross-over design, the three meals were consumed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while in the one meal plan all foods were eaten during a four-hour time period in the early evening hours.

During the one meal dietary regimen, morning plasma glucose concentrations were significantly increased. Moreover, while fasting plasma insulin concentrations were not affected, the less frequent meal plan resulted in worse glucose tolerance as indicated by significantly greater and more prolonged elevation of plasma glucose concentrations.

Of importance, the detrimental effects on the glucose tolerance brought about by the one meal per day pattern were rapidly reversed upon returning to the thrice a day meal frequency, indicating that the diet caused no long-lasting effects on glucose metabolism.

In another study of 40 weight-stable women with polycystic ovary syndrome a 6-meal pattern significantly improved insulin sensitivity compared to a 3-meal pattern 5. Yet in another study among healthy lean men, two isoenergetic diets were consumed either over 3 or 14 daily eating occasions 9.

In that study, the area under curve of the hour glucose concentration was lower during the 3-meal plan, suggesting that extremely high eating frequencies may not be of additional benefit. In another study of multiple meals, however, mean blood glucose concentrations of healthy men were no different during interventions with 3 and 17 daily meals While we were not able to identify any interventions involving subjects with type 1 diabetes, a number of trials have been conducted among individuals with type 2 diabetes.

In one such study, for a duration of two weeks, the daily energy was consumed in random order as either three or eight meals 7. In that study, different meal frequencies were not associated with insulin sensitivity or the glucose and insulin responses to a high-carbohydrate test meal at the end of the intervention.

In another randomised crossover trial, individuals with type 2 diabetes followed a week weight-maintenance diet with either 3 or 6 daily meals 6. Finally, following an overnight fast, 12 individuals with type 2 diabetes were assigned in random order to two 8-hour observation periods During these periods, isoenergetic diets as either two or six meals were consumed.

Although, during the study period, there was no difference in the incremental blood glucose area between the interventions, the postprandial blood glucose fluctuations, insulin, and free fatty acid concentrations were lower with increasing meal frequency. While there are differences in the methods used and populations investigated, in the studies described above, a cautious conclusion may be drawn that dividing the daily energy intake into multiple smaller meals may be of some benefit for individuals with type 1 diabetes.

Our observation showing that a higher number of meals was associated with better glycaemic control is in support of this conclusion. A number of phenomena may explain the benefit of dividing energy intake throughout the day.

First, spreading the nutrients into smaller meals could reduce the impact of glycaemic load at individual meals Second, distributing the total daily energy into multiple meals may be of benefit to individuals administering external insulin, as estimating carbohydrate content of the smaller meals is easier Finally, the elevated free fatty acid levels related to the increase in meal spacing is known to impact glucose metabolism by reducing insulin-mediated glucose disposal in the muscle, stimulating gluconeogenesis, and increasing hepatic glucose output.

While it is widely acknowledged that good glycaemic control is an important factor for the long-term vascular health, large variability of the blood glucose concentrations may additionally play a role in the pathology of end-organ damage in diabetes Therefore, identifying factors related to the blood glucose variability could be of importance.

Of interest higher number of meals, in the current study, was additionally associated with increased variability of the blood glucose measurements. It has to be acknowledged, however, that no data on hypoglycaemia episodes were available for the current analyses.

Moreover, we did not identify indications for food intake. Indeed, it is highly probable that a number of eating occasions took place in order to treat hypoglycaemia. Therefore, the observations related to the association between the number of meals and increased blood glucose variability could reflect the need to correct low blood glucose values upon experiencing hypoglycaemia.

To the best of our knowledge, the current study is amongst the first ones to describe the circadian energy intake and breakfast habits of adult individuals with type 1 diabetes. Evident in girls, skipping breakfast and lunch were both associated with worse glycaemic control, while breakfast omission was additionally associated with higher eating disorder psychopathology including insulin omission due to weight concerns.

Similar to the previous observations 21 , breakfast omission in the current study was associated with a lower total number of meals.

However, as the energy intake of those reporting and not reporting eating breakfast was comparable, those omitting breakfast compensated for the missed morning energy intake during the subsequent eating occasions, suggesting a pattern of larger but fewer meals.

Given the lower median meal frequency, this observation suggests that the breakfast skippers of the current study are, amongst themselves, quite heterogeneous in their meal timings.

The association between breakfast consumption and glycaemic fate has been investigated in various populations. In the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, for example, eating patterns of 29, US men were assessed and participants were followed-up for 16 years Over that period, incident cases of type 2 diabetes were identified.

Amongst the clinical trials, in this field, is a randomised controlled trial by Betts et al. In their study, individuals fasting until noon for a 6-week period experienced increased glycaemic variability during afternoons and evenings. Instead, the practice of regularly consuming breakfast helped to maintain more stable blood glucose responses.

In another study with a randomised crossover design, Kobayashi et al. assessed the blood glucose concentrations of eight young men in two experimental conditions In one of the conditions, participants ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while in the other condition the same amount of energy was consumed at lunch and dinner times only.

Skipping breakfast increased the average blood glucose concentration during afternoon and sleep, subsequently resulting in overall increased hour average blood glucose concentration. Nas et al. investigated the glucose metabolism of healthy adults in conditions of breakfast skipping and dinner skipping In their study, compared to omitting dinner, breakfast skipping resulted in higher glucose concentrations and insulin resistance after lunch.

Moreover, the observed increase in post-lunch fat oxidation, occurring despite of increased insulin concentration, was suggestive of metabolic inflexibility after prolonged fasting.

Also, in type 2 diabetes, omission of breakfast was associated with an increased glycaemic response after lunch and dinner, when compared to the glycaemic responses taking place after lunch and dinner when breakfast was consumed Observations related to the breakfast omission, subsequent larger meals timed at later hours, and compromised glycaemic control may be related to a decrease in insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance towards evening.

Indeed, independent of the behavioural cycle, postprandial blood glucose concentrations are significantly higher in the evening compared to the morning Of note, the above variations in glucose tolerance seemed to be explained by different mechanisms.

The decreased pancreatic beta cell function was effective during the evening, while decreased insulin sensitivity seemed to be behind the effect during circadian misalignment. In line with the above observations, compared with a high-energy dinner, a high-energy breakfast resulted in greater improvements in fasting glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance, despite an overall similar energy intake throughout the day Moreover, following the lunch of similar energy contents, serum glucose and insulin responses were significantly lower when the high-energy breakfast was consumed.

The above described reduced glycaemia related to a meal consumed after breakfast is known as the second meal phenomenon. This phenomenon could be due to a breakfast-induced increase in beta cell responsiveness seen during the second meal.

Here, beta cell memory and the magnitude of insulin release is enhanced by the earlier glucose exposure. Of importance, the second meal phenomenon is not restricted to the post-breakfast lunch, but seems to persist throughout the day as breakfast omission not only worsened the postprandial glucose and impaired insulin secretion at lunch, but also at dinner We acknowledge that the current study was observational in nature and applied dietary data collected using a self-report method.

While some reservations may be related to the self-reported energy intake, we are not aware if the self-report method impacts the reporting of meals and their timings. In the current analyses, data from only one day per participant were used. Whether the selected day is representative of the dietary practices of the participants at large, is not known.

HbA 1c was measured at the study visit, and was therefore measured prior to the dietary assessment. In case the reported dietary practices were not representative of the typical diet, the results relying on the reverse assessments of HbA 1c and dietary exposure could be biased.

The blood glucose measurements were, however, conducted at the time of the dietary assessment. A large study sample of well-characterised individuals and the use of a record instead of a memory-relying recall method to collect data on dietary intake and blood glucose measurements are also considered strengths of this study.

In conclusion, large variation in meal frequencies was observed in this sample of adult individuals with type 1 diabetes. Despite this, a pattern of 4 major peaks of energy intake was evident in the whole population.

Individuals reporting and not reporting eating breakfast had comparable total energy intakes but distinctive patterns of circadian distribution of dietary energy.

Finally, our observations support the practice of a regular meal pattern, with breakfast and multiple smaller daily meals for better glycaemic control. Study subjects were participants of the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy FinnDiane Study. Type 1 diabetes was defined as diabetes onset before the age of 40 years, and permanent insulin treatment initiated within a year from the diagnosis.

The Ethics Committee of The Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District approved the study protocol. The study was carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. Written informed consent was obtained from all individuals prior to study participation.

At the FinnDiane Study visit, participants were thoroughly examined. This included measurements of height, weight, and blood pressure. Non-fasting, early morning blood samples were collected and sent to a central laboratory to measure serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations.

HbA 1c was measured at each study site using a photometric, enzymatic assay. Smoking was self-reported, and those reporting current smoking were identified for the analyses. Mode of insulin administration was self-reported. Physical activity was assessed using a questionnaire on leisure-time physical activity as previously described Here, for the preceding 12 months, mean frequency, single session duration, and intensity of 21 common forms of leisure-time activities were assessed.

In order to calculate the physical activity as the metabolic equivalent of task hours METh , the activity- and intensity-specific metabolic equivalents were multiplied by the duration of the activity. The METh was used as a continuous variable in the analyses.

Two methods were used to assess dietary intake, as described by Ahola et al. In the questionnaire, the participants report their customary consumption habits of tea, coffee, liquid milk products, breads, spreads, cooking fats, salt, probiotics containing foodstuffs and dietary supplements.

Additionally, adherence to any special diets and to the dietary recommendations provided by the health-care personnel were queried. Included was also a item food frequency questionnaire where, on a 7-level scale, the consumption frequencies of fish dishes, meat dishes, poultry, sausages and cold cuts, eggs, legumes, fresh vegetables, cooked vegetables, potatos, pasta and rice, fruits and berries, fatty cheese, low-fat cheese, yoghurt and curd, ice cream, soft drinks, sweet pastries, sweets and chocolates, and fried and grilled foods were reported.

The questionnaire has previously been validated in the FinnDiane Study population of participants with type 1 diabetes The research also found that eating dinner after 10pm increased the risk further, while eating about five times a day was linked to lower disease incidence.

Based on this, co-author Manolis Kogevinas said it is suggested to have the first meal by 8am, and the last before 7pm to help reduce the risk of developing the disease. If people who follow intermittent fasting bump their eating periods earlier in the day, in line with the study's conclusion, this could mean the last meal would be taken at, by or before 3pm.

However, Ayaz Ahmed, an internal medicine specialist at Aster Cedars Hospital in Jebel Ali, says this might not be ideal. After all, he reiterates, the goal of such dieting techniques is to ultimately live a healthier lifestyle.

Skipping dinner, Ahmed adds, might result in poor quality sleep or overeating the next day, which would defeat the purpose of the diet. Ahmed clarifies his advice is generally applicable to people who have not been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetics who are on long-term therapy and are taking medications should approach any dieting method with caution. Part of the reason why time-restricted eating has become popular is its weight-loss effect, which is a crucial element in managing blood sugar levels. Even so, she adds, while intermittent fasting has been proven to aid in losing weight, it could be detrimental for diabetics, especially those who are on medication.

This helps to keep your blood sugar levels from spiking. She says human metabolism works more efficiently in the morning, and suggests not skipping breakfast, eating dinner early and starting the fast at night time instead.

The dinner or last meal should be high in fibre, have about 30g of proteins and good fat content, De Sarkar says, to avoid being hungry by bedtime. Ruba Elhourani, senior clinical dietitian and the head of the nutrition department at RAK Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah, says whichever eating method people choose, meals must always be balanced to achieve results.

She says for diabetic patients, it's important to be aware of carbohydrates and sugar intake. Instead of setting eating time restrictions, he advises patients do a low-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, incorporating more protein and fibre in their meals.

Obesity Retrieved 5 May 5. et al. The effects of breakfast on short-term cognitive function among Chinese white-collar workers: protocol for a three-phase crossover study. BMC Pub Health 17 Reduction in Glycated Hemoglobin and Daily Insulin Dose Alongside Circadian Clock Upregulation in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Consuming a Three-Meal Diet: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

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Blood glucose levels can spike and dip for dozens of different reasons, and as well as what you eat, it turns out that when you eat also impacts your blood sugar.