Reduced sleep as an obesity risk factor.
Poor sleep has increasingly gained attention as a potential contributor to the recent obesity epidemic. The increased prevalence of obesity in Western nations over the past half-century has been paralleled by a severe reduction in sleep duration. Physiological studies suggest reduced sleep may impact hormonal regulation of appetite. Prospective studies suggest reduced habitual sleep duration as assessed by self-report is an independent risk factor for an increased rate of weight gain and incident obesity. Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that the association between reduced sleep and obesity persists when sleep habits are measured objectively, that the association is as a result of elevations in fat and not muscle mass and that this association is not related to sleep apnoea. Thus, reduced sleep appears to represent a novel, independent risk factor for increased weight gain. Further research is needed to determine whether interventions aimed at increasing sleep may be useful in combating obesity.
Patel
S R
SR
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA. srp20@case.edu
D001069:Appetite Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology