Night owls at high risk of certain chronic diseases, study says

研究：夜貓子罹患特定慢性病的風險很高

【摘要2022-10-17自由】◎陳成良

If you prefer to go to bed and get up later — a sleep chronotype known as being a night owl — you may be at higher risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease, a new study found.

一項新研究發現，如果你喜歡晚睡晚起的夜貓子睡眠模式，罹患2型糖尿病和心臟病的風險可能會更高。

Night owls were more sedentary, had lower aerobic fitness levels and burned less fat at rest and while active than early birds in the study. Night owls were also more likely to be insulin-resistant, meaning their muscles required more insulin to be able to get the energy they need, according to the study published Monday in the journal Experimental Physiology.

這項週一發表在《實驗生理學》期刊上的研究指出，相比早起的人，夜貓子更不愛動、有氧健身程度更低、休息和活動時燃燒的脂肪也更少。夜貓子對胰島素的抵抗性也更強，這意味著他們的肌肉需要更多胰島素，才能獲得自身所需的能量。

"Insulin tells the muscles to be a sponge and absorb the glucose in the blood," said senior study author Steven Malin, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology and health at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

該研究的資深作者、新澤西州羅格斯大學人體運動與健康學副教授史蒂芬‧馬林說，「胰島素讓肌肉像海綿一樣，吸收血液中的葡萄糖。」

If sleep chronotype is affecting how our bodies use insulin and impacting metabolism, then being a night owl might be useful in predicting a person’s risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, Malin added.

馬林補充說，如果睡眠類型會影響人體使用胰島素以及新陳代謝的方式，夜貓子習性便可以用來預測一個人罹患心臟病和2型糖尿病的風險。

新聞辭典

sedentary：形容詞，久坐的、不活動的。例句：I think a sedentary job would suit me.（我認為坐辦公室的工作適合我。）

kinesiology：名詞，運動機能學；人體運動學。例句：He has studied kinesiology, which has helped him become a more efficient swimmer.（他研究人體運動學，幫助他成為一個更有效率的游泳運動員。）