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A decent sleep may beat obesity
Source: Agencies |
February 25, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
COOLER homes and a better night's sleep might help rein in the current obesity epidemic, according to a study.
When researchers led by Simona Bo at the University of Turin in Italy followed more than a thousand middle-aged adults over six years, they found that sleep habits were related to the risk of obesity - with the odds of their becoming obese declining by 30 percent for each hour of sleep people typically got.
This was true even when other factors such as physical activity level and TV watching were taken into account, according to the study published in the International Journal of Obesity.
Then there was temperature. Compared to people who kept their homes no warmer than 20 degrees Celsius in the fall and winter, those who liked a toastier home were twice as likely to become obese.
"Relatively unexplored contributors to the obesity and diabetes epidemics may include sleep restriction, increased house temperature, television watching, consumption of restaurant meals, use of air-conditioning and use of antidepressant/antipsychotic drugs," wrote Bo and her colleagues.
The more often people ate at restaurants each week, the greater their likelihood of becoming obese, while those who got little fiber in their diets were at greater risk of developing abnormally high blood sugar levels.
A number of past studies have already linked excess weight and chronic sleep deprivation, typically defined as less than six hours per night.
One theory is that the hormonal effects of sleep loss are to blame, or that sleep-deprived people may eat or drink more in an effort to boost their energy levels.
When researchers led by Simona Bo at the University of Turin in Italy followed more than a thousand middle-aged adults over six years, they found that sleep habits were related to the risk of obesity - with the odds of their becoming obese declining by 30 percent for each hour of sleep people typically got.
This was true even when other factors such as physical activity level and TV watching were taken into account, according to the study published in the International Journal of Obesity.
Then there was temperature. Compared to people who kept their homes no warmer than 20 degrees Celsius in the fall and winter, those who liked a toastier home were twice as likely to become obese.
"Relatively unexplored contributors to the obesity and diabetes epidemics may include sleep restriction, increased house temperature, television watching, consumption of restaurant meals, use of air-conditioning and use of antidepressant/antipsychotic drugs," wrote Bo and her colleagues.
The more often people ate at restaurants each week, the greater their likelihood of becoming obese, while those who got little fiber in their diets were at greater risk of developing abnormally high blood sugar levels.
A number of past studies have already linked excess weight and chronic sleep deprivation, typically defined as less than six hours per night.
One theory is that the hormonal effects of sleep loss are to blame, or that sleep-deprived people may eat or drink more in an effort to boost their energy levels.
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