title: Associations between the macronutrient composition of the evening meal and average daily sleep duration in early childhood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Short sleep duration in early childhood may increase the risk for chronic diseases in later life. Strategies to improve sleep duration are thus of interest. We investigated whether the nutritional composition of the evening meal is associated with children's sleep duration in the 2nd year of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multivariable regression models included 594 participants of the DONALD Study with 3-days weighed dietary records and average daily sleep duration at age 1.5 and 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher energy intakes with the evening meal were associated with a longer sleep duration (1 min/10 kcal, p = 0,01). With respect to absolute intakes, carbohydrates (0.8 min/g, p < 0.0001), especially from high GI foods (1.3 min/g, p < 0.01), and a higher GL (1.5 min/g GL, p < 0.01) were accompanied by longer sleeping time. A qualitative exchange of energy from protein by energy from carbohydrates from high GI foods was only associated with increased sleep duration in toddlers without (1.9 min/%E, p < 0.05), but not with nightly eating occasions (p > 0.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed associations are in line with suggested sleep-improving effects of carbohydrates. Effect sizes suggest that the clinical relevance of nutritional composition for sleep duration is limited in healthy young toddlers. These observations and their possible importance for more vulnerable groups need to be confirmed in clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Child Nutrition, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Dortmund, Germany. diethelm@fke-do.de
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Diethelm
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Remer
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jilani
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.forename: Anette E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Buyken
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects; D015930:Diet Records; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D038321:Glycemic Index; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D012890:Sleep; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004044:Dietary Proteins