Clinical and metabolic implications of night eating syndrome in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Night Eating Syndrome (NES) is an eating disorder associated with circadian rhythm disruption, but its clinical relevance in metabolic diseases remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NES in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and to examine its associations with glycemic control and metabolic risk markers within each subtype. This cross-sectional study included 500 patients with diabetes (108 with type 1 and 392 with type 2). NES was assessed using the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ), with a score ≥ 25 indicating NES. Group comparisons, correlation analyses, and binary logistic regression were performed to identify factors independently associated with metabolic syndrome. The overall prevalence of NES was 23.2%, with no significant difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In exploratory analyses conducted separately within each subtype, NEQ scores in type 1 diabetes showed weak positive correlations with fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), while in type 2 diabetes NEQ scores showed weak positive correlations with waist circumference, triglycerides, and the atherogenic index of plasma. In multivariable analysis, the NEQ score was independently associated with metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR] 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.046-1.122). NES is common among individuals with diabetes and, in the overall diabetic population, is independently associated with metabolic syndrome. These findings suggest that NES may represent a clinically relevant metabolic phenotype in diabetes. Given the cross-sectional design, prospective studies are needed; however, early identification of NES may support a more comprehensive metabolic risk assessment.