Less Sleep, More Weight?

Previous studies have report that short sleep duration associates with obesity and diabetes.  Shahrad Taheri, from Weill Cornell Medical College (Qatar), and colleagues assessed 522 men and women with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (enrolled in the Early Activity in Diabetes trial), randomly dividing them into one of three groups: usual care, physical activity intervention, or diet and physical activity intervention. Participants completed 7-day sleep diaries and calculated their weekday sleep debt. At the study’s start, the researchers recorded their height and weight to determine obesity status, measured their waist circumference for central adiposity, and analyzed their fasting blood samples for insulin sensitivity.  At baseline, compared with participants who had no weekday sleep debt, those who had weekday sleep debt were 72% more likely to be obese, and by the 6-month mark, weekday sleep debt was significantly associated with obesity and insulin resistance. At 12 months, for every 30 minutes of weekday sleep debt at baseline, the risk of obesity was raised by 17% and insulin resistance rose by 39%.  The study authors warn that: “The long-term effects of weekday sleep debt may cause metabolic disruption, which may exacerbate the progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus.”`