title: Sleep loss: a novel risk factor for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
abstract: Chronic sleep loss as a consequence of voluntary bedtime restriction is an endemic condition in modern society. Although sleep exerts marked modulatory effects on glucose metabolism, and molecular mechanisms for the interaction between sleeping and feeding have been documented, the potential impact of recurrent sleep curtailment on the risk for diabetes and obesity has only recently been investigated. In laboratory studies of healthy young adults submitted to recurrent partial sleep restriction, marked alterations in glucose metabolism including decreased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity have been demonstrated. The neuroendocrine regulation of appetite was also affected as the levels of the anorexigenic hormone leptin were decreased, whereas the levels of the orexigenic factor ghrelin were increased. Importantly, these neuroendocrine abnormalities were correlated with increased hunger and appetite, which may lead to overeating and weight gain. Consistent with these laboratory findings, a growing body of epidemiological evidence supports an association between short sleep duration and the risk for obesity and diabetes. Chronic sleep loss may also be the consequence of pathological conditions such as sleep-disordered breathing. In this increasingly prevalent syndrome, a feedforward cascade of negative events generated by sleep loss, sleep fragmentation, and hypoxia are likely to exacerbate the severity of metabolic disturbances. In conclusion, chronic sleep loss, behavioral or sleep disorder related, may represent a novel risk factor for weight gain, insulin resistance, and Type 2 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie, Centre d'Etude des Rythmes Biologiques, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Campus Hôpital Erasme-CPI 604, 808, Route de Lennik, B-1070 Bruxelles, Belgium. kspiegel@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Knutson
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leproult
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tasali
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Cauter
mesh_terms: D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005937:Glucaric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005937:Glucaric Acid