Objective: The risk of developing type 2 diabetes associated with poor sleep quality is comparable to that of traditional risk factors (e.g. overweight, physical inactivity). In the United Kingdom, these traditional risk factors could not explain the two to three-fold excess risks in South Asian and African Caribbean men compared to Europeans. This study investigates the (i)the association between mid-life sleep quality and later-life type 2 diabetes risk and (ii)a potential modifying effect of ethnicity. Research Design and Methods: The Southall and Brent REvisited (SABRE) cohort comprised Europeans, South Asians, and African Caribbeans (median follow-up = 19 years). Complete case analysis was performed on 2190 participants without diabetes at baseline (age= 51.7 {+/-} 7SD). Competing risks regressions were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) of developing type 2 diabetes associated with four self-reported baseline sleep exposures (difficulty falling asleep, early morning waking, waking up tired and snoring) while adjusting for confounders. Modifying effects of ethnicity were analysed by (i) testing for interactions and (ii) performing ethnicity-stratified analysis. Results: Snoring was strongly associated with increased type 2 diabetes risk but only among South Asians in a fully-adjusted model (HR 1.42, 95%CI=1.08-1.85, P=0.011). Our results revealed no elevated risk for any of the sleep exposures across all three ethnic groups. Conclusions: The association between snoring and type 2 diabetes appeared to be modified by ethnicity, with South Asians at greatest risk.

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