Seoul: Night owls are more likely to develop diabetes and metabolic syndrome than early risers, even when they get the same amount of sleep, according to a new study.

"Regardless of lifestyle, people who stayed up late faced a higher risk of developing health problems like diabetes or reduced muscle mass than those who were early risers," said one of the study's authors, Nan Hee Kim, of Korea University College of Medicine in Ansan, South Korea.