By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Just one sleepless night can
hamper the body's ability to use insulin to process sugar in the
bloodstream, according to a study which scientists say might
help explain why diabetes is on the rise. Researchers said their
findings suggest it may be no coincidence that while sleep
duration has shortened in western societies in the past decade
there has also been an increase in cases of "insulin resistance"
and adult-onset diabetes. "Our findings show a short night of
sleep has more profound effects on metabolic regulation than
previously appreciated," said Esther Donga, director of Leiden
University Medical Center in the Netherlands, who led the study
published on Wednesday. Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body's
inability to adequately use insulin, a hormone produced by the
pancreas, to control glucose sugar produced from food. Sugar
levels rise and can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and
major arteries. The disease, linked to poor diet and lack of
exercise, is reachi