A bstract Background: Effects of meal- and sleep-related factors on glucometabolic control among South-Asian people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were inadequately reported, especially in the context of sex. Objective: This study evaluated the sex-specific associations of meal- and sleep-related factors on glucometabolic control among people with T2DM. Materials and Methods: From February to December 2025, we enrolled 694 adults with T2DM across four hospitals. Data collection included meal- and sleep-related histories, physical measurements (height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure BP), and glucometabolic parameters (e.g., glycated hemoglobin, plasma glucose, fasting lipid profiles, and body indices). Findings were categorized and evaluated against established clinical recommendations to identify abnormal health values. Results: Obesity and dyslipidemia were more frequent in females compared with males. More than three daily meals were associated with higher odds for hypertriglyceridemia (odds ratio OR = 2.0) in males but lower odds for low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (OR = 0.4) in females. Bedtime after 11 pm was associated with higher odds for general (OR = 2.1) and central obesity (OR = 1.9) only in males. Dinner–bedtime interval up to 2 h was associated with higher odds for high total cholesterol (TC), both for males (OR = 2.4) and females (OR = 1.8), and uncontrolled systolic BP (OR = 1.7) in females. Sleep duration at night below 6 h was associated with higher odds for uncontrolled diastolic BP (OR = 2.8) and overall uncontrolled BP (OR = 2.5) in males, and higher odds for high TC (OR = 1.7) in females. Conclusion: Meal- and sleep-related factors may be associated with poor glucometabolic status with distinctive sex-specific association in people with T2DM.
Hasan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.