Sleep, ghrelin, leptin and changes in body weight during a 1-year moderate-intensity physical activity intervention.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships among exercise, sleep, ghrelin and leptin.


METHODS
We randomly assigned 173 post-menopausal sedentary overweight (body mass index >or=24.0 kg/m(2) and >33% body fat) women aged 50-75 years living in western Washington State to either a facility- and home-based moderate-intensity physical activity intervention or a stretching control group. Fasting plasma ghrelin, leptin, measured height, weight and self-reported sleep were assessed at baseline and 12 months.


RESULTS
There were no consistent cross-sectional patterns between self-reported sleep measures and ghrelin or leptin at baseline. The weight loss differences between exercisers and stretchers were greater for those who slept less at follow-up than at baseline compared to those whose sleep duration did not change (-3.2 kg, 95% confidence interval (CI) -5.8, -0.5). Improvements in sleep quality were associated with significantly greater differences between exercisers and stretchers for ghrelin increases (improved vs same sleep quality: +115 pg/ml, 95% CI +25, +206) and leptin decreases (improved vs worsened sleep quality: -5.7 ng/ml, 95% CI -9.5, -1.5).


CONCLUSIONS
There was only limited evidence that changes in sleep duration or quality modified exercise-induced changes in weight, ghrelin or leptin. Moreover, the observed differences were not in the directions hypothesized. Future longitudinal studies including population-based samples using objective measures of sleep and long follow-up may help to clarify these relationships.
Littman
A J
AJ
Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA. alittman@fhcrc.org
Vitiello
M V
MV
Foster-Schubert
K
K
Ulrich
C M
CM
Tworoger
S S
SS
Potter
J D
JD
Weigle
D S
DS
McTiernan
A
A
D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology
D054439:Ghrelin; D020738:Leptin; D036361:Peptide Hormones