Evaluation of Cardiovascular Disease Risk According to the Morningness-Eveningness Status in Adult Individuals

Background Chronotype is the individual's tendency to exhibit morning or evening behaviors. Having an evening chronotype creates an environment for different chronic diseases. An individual's lifestyle behaviors that are contrary to the endogenous circadian rhythm pave the way for hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Methods This study, which was conducted to evaluate the relationship between chronotype and CVD risk in adult individuals, involved a total of 1,100 individuals aged between 19 and 64 years who applied to a family health center in Elazig, Turkey. The demographic questionnaire, the self-assessment Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), and the Framingham Risk Score were used to collect data. Biochemical parameters were queried from patient records with measurements taken in the last week, and anthropometric measurements were recorded by researchers. Results At the end of the study, it was determined that individuals in the eveningness group had a higher risk (N=31, 29.8%) of CVDs. In addition, the percentage of individuals with body mass index (BMI) (N=67, 64.4%), fasting blood glucose (FBG) (N=19, 18.3%), total cholesterol (N=44, 42.3%), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) (N=38, 36.5%) values ​​above the reference ranges was found to be higher in the evening chronotype group. Conclusion As a result, individuals with an evening chronotype are at higher risk for CVDs. In addition, obesity and some biochemical parameters are more common in individuals with an evening chronotype. Supporting healthy lifestyle activities by taking into account the chronotype habits of individuals may contribute to the prevention of chronic diseases.