Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

I’m not sure it can make you wealthy or wise — but we now know that having breakfast before 8 a.m. significantly reduces your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

That's the conclusion of a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology that tracked more than 100,000 people for an average of seven years. Researchers found that people who put off having breakfast until later in the morning — or skipped it altogether — increased their risk ofr Type 2 diabetes by 59%. 

Eating a late breakfast may also be why around 96 million people in the U.S. have prediabetes. One study found that skipping breakfast, especially if you are overweight and a teenager, without reducing calories and exercising regularly, leads to prediabetes.

And that's a ticket to full-blown diabetes down the road.

An early breakfast may be beneficial because it tends to lower your total daily calorie intake, and starts off your day with better insulin regulation — especially if you have a breakfast that focuses on protein instead of carbs (even good carbs such as oatmeal).

How can you incorporate an early breakfast into an intermittent fasting weight-loss plan?

Have breakfast between 7 a.m.-8 a.m. and your last meal before 5 p.m. at night. Eat 75% of your daily calories before 2 p.m. and dinner should be the smallest meal of the day.

For more info on scheduling your meals, check out my book "What to Eat When."