Association of dietary insulin index (DII) and dietary insulin load (DIL) with circadian rhythm and quality of sleep among overweight and obese women: a cross-sectional study

Background: Obesity is a global issue, with over 1.9 billion adults overweight. Disruption of circadian rhythms (CR) leads to obesity and metabolic disorders. Dietary nutrition significantly impacts sleep disorders and disruption in CR, influencing hormones and inflammation, which can contribute to insomnia. The dietary insulin index (DII) and dietary insulin load (DIL) are important factors in determining sleep quality. The current study aims to investigate the association between DII and DIL with CR and sleep quality among with overweight and obesity women. Methods: A case-control study involved 280 overweight/obese women aged 25–40 from Tehran University Medical Science. They were assessed for dietary intake, physical activity, and sleep using validated questionnaires. The study also assessed body composition, bioelectrical impedance analysis, biochemical components, anthropometric components, and blood pressure. Socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics, such as age, educational level, physical activity, and smoking habits, were also assessed through questionnaires. Result: In the crude and adjustment models, high adherence of DII compared with lower adherence increased the odds of poor sleep quality index among participants. This significant association remained even after adjustment for confounding variables (P < 0.05), such that the odds of poor sleep quality index was 1.92 times higher. Conclusion: This study showed high adherence to DII and DIL may cause CR disruption. Furthermore, higher adherence to DII lead to poor sleep quality in women.