Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Diet and sleepiness
This article discusses research showing a link between diet and sleepiness. The results showed that fat intake made subjects sleepier while carbohydrate intake caused alertness. Protein had no affect on sleepiness. This is confusing and contradicts some other studies showing carbohydrates increase sleepiness and protein causes alertness.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Exercise and diet can prevent obstructive sleep apnea from worsening.
Here is a study about obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), exercise, and diet. As you may know, OSA is associated with obesity. Weight loss can reduce the severity, and weight gain can worsen OSA over time. This study is out of Finland. Researchers followed 81 adults with mild OSA and had some follow a diet and exercise program for one year. The others did not. After 4 more years, researchers checked their weight and OSA level. Those that did the diet and exercise program lost an average of 12 pounds. Six had OSA that progressed to moderate, but none were severe. The other group gained one pound on average over the 4 years. 12 worsened to moderate OSA and two had severe OSA.
The researchers concluded that weight loss may lessen the chance of OSA worsening. This is good, as the more severe the OSA, the higher the risk of cardiovascular consequences.
The researchers concluded that weight loss may lessen the chance of OSA worsening. This is good, as the more severe the OSA, the higher the risk of cardiovascular consequences.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Night Owls and Dietary Habits
In the online edition of the journal Obesity is a study about late night eating habits. Psychologists studied 51 people, 23 late sleepers (average bedtime 3:45 a.m.) and 28 normal sleepers (average bedtime 12:30 a.m.). Study participants recorded their eating and sleeping in logs and had objective sleep measurements with wrist actigraphy.
Late sleepers ate 248 more calories per day, ate twice as much fast food, ate half as many fruits and vegetables, and drank more full-caloire soda than the participants with normal sleep times. The late sleeepers consumed the extra calories during dinner and later in the evening when everyone else was asleep. Left unchecked, this amount of extra calories could lead to a 2 pound weight gain per month!
The study researchers don't know if the late sleepers consume the extra calories beacuse they prefer more high-calorie foods or because there are less healthful options late at night. It could also be that there is a circadian effect, meaning that staying awake later than normal could lead to hormone changes that affect metabolism and appetite. This, in part, could explain the fact that people who work third shift have increase risk of obesity, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Late sleepers ate 248 more calories per day, ate twice as much fast food, ate half as many fruits and vegetables, and drank more full-caloire soda than the participants with normal sleep times. The late sleeepers consumed the extra calories during dinner and later in the evening when everyone else was asleep. Left unchecked, this amount of extra calories could lead to a 2 pound weight gain per month!
The study researchers don't know if the late sleepers consume the extra calories beacuse they prefer more high-calorie foods or because there are less healthful options late at night. It could also be that there is a circadian effect, meaning that staying awake later than normal could lead to hormone changes that affect metabolism and appetite. This, in part, could explain the fact that people who work third shift have increase risk of obesity, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Sleep duration and obesity in children
There was an article by NPR about a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. The researchers surveyed 2000 children about their sleep duration and measured the children's weight over a five year period.
The researchers concluded that children who slept greater than 10 hours per night were less obese than those that slept less than 10 hours per night. Napping during the daytime did not help, implying that nighttime sleep duration is the more important factor. The effect was most prominent in infants and toddlers. The authors of the study hypothesized that children who do not get enough sleep would be too tired to exercise. Also, certain hormones that control appetite can be affected by sleep duration, but this has only been proven in adults.
The article author at NPR lead off the story by stating that in infants and pre-schoolers, a good and long nights sleep may be just as important as diet and physical activity with regards to obesity! This is highly misleading, in my opinion. It takes the focus off the real problem with childhood obesity, which is their poor diet. If it only were that easy - just get more sleep and your overweight child will be thin again. The problem with this study is that it is dependent on parents' report of sleep duration, which is frought with uncertainty. Also, it could be argued that parents who let their children stay up late probably also let them eat too much junk food. I wish the authors of the study had surveyed caloric intake along with sleep duration in these children.
Don't get me wrong. Sleep is very important to kids' physical, emotional, and cognitive development. And too little sleep could play a small role in weight regulation. But lets focus on the real problem with childhood obesity rather than on these minor issues.
The researchers concluded that children who slept greater than 10 hours per night were less obese than those that slept less than 10 hours per night. Napping during the daytime did not help, implying that nighttime sleep duration is the more important factor. The effect was most prominent in infants and toddlers. The authors of the study hypothesized that children who do not get enough sleep would be too tired to exercise. Also, certain hormones that control appetite can be affected by sleep duration, but this has only been proven in adults.
The article author at NPR lead off the story by stating that in infants and pre-schoolers, a good and long nights sleep may be just as important as diet and physical activity with regards to obesity! This is highly misleading, in my opinion. It takes the focus off the real problem with childhood obesity, which is their poor diet. If it only were that easy - just get more sleep and your overweight child will be thin again. The problem with this study is that it is dependent on parents' report of sleep duration, which is frought with uncertainty. Also, it could be argued that parents who let their children stay up late probably also let them eat too much junk food. I wish the authors of the study had surveyed caloric intake along with sleep duration in these children.
Don't get me wrong. Sleep is very important to kids' physical, emotional, and cognitive development. And too little sleep could play a small role in weight regulation. But lets focus on the real problem with childhood obesity rather than on these minor issues.
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