Study finds body clock linked to diabetes

Scientists have discovered a new gene which suggests there is a link between the body clock and diabetes.

Published in Nature Genetics, the research involved more than 36,000 people.

An international team of scientists identified a gene involved in sleeping and waking cycles that was also linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes and high levels of blood sugar.

According to Prof Mark McCarthy of the University of Oxford: "We have extremely strong, incontrovertible evidence that the gene encoding melatonin receptor 1B is associated with high fasting glucose levels and increased risk of type 2 diabetes."

Other institutions involved in the research were the MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Last month, a study found that people who slept for five hours or fewer, or nine hours or more, were more likely to have incident diabetes after the experiment.

The research took place at the Columbia University in New York and took into consideration factors such as age and obesity, oneindia reported.

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