You Are When You Eat: New Study Helps Explain Increased Risk Of Diabetes In Shift Workers

As the saying goes, "You are what you eat." But now, more and more research is finding that you're not only what you eat, but when you eat.

A new study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital is adding to that research — and it suggests that you're better off consuming carbohydrates for breakfast than for dinner. The results have particular significance for shift workers — people who work through the night and sleep during the day — who have a greater risk of developing diabetes.

The study will be published this week in the journal, "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Carey Goldberg, co-host of WBUR's CommonHealth blog. She tweets at @commonhealth.

Frank Scheer, associate neuroscientist and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders and Departments of Medicine and Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.