Sleep deprivation doubles risks of obesity in both children and adultsJuly 13, 2006Research by Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick has found that sleep deprivation is associated with an almost a two-fold increased risk of being obese for both children and adults. Early results of a study by Professor Francesco Cappuccio of the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School were presented to the International AC21 Research Festival hosted this month by the University of Warwick. The research reviewed current evidence in over 28,000 children and 15,000 adults. For both groups Professor Cappuccio found that shorter sleep duration is associated with almost a two-fold increased risk of being obese. The research also suggests that those who sleep less have a greater increase in body mass index and waist circumference over time and a greater chance of becoming obese over time. Professor Cappuccio says: "The 'epidemic' of obesity is paralleled by a 'silent epidemic' of reduced sleep duration with short sleep duration linked to increased risk of obesity both in adults and in children.These trends are detectable in adults as well as in children as young as 5 years." Professor Cappuccio points out that short sleep duration may lead to obesity through an increase of appetite via hormonal changes caused by the sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep produces Ghrelin which, among other effects, stimulates appetite and creates less leptin which, among other effects, suppresses appetite. However he says more research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which short sleep is linked to chronic conditions of affluent societies, such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Francesco Branca, the Regional Adviser for nutrition and food security in the World Health organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe said: "This is an interesting piece of research putting together different lifestyle aspects with food choices. We need more research on the obese environment—the integration between medical research and socio-political research is something we should be exploring more." For a podcast by Professor Cappuccio on sleep which covers this new research go to http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/audio/?podcastItem=sleep.mp3 Broadcast quality video footage on this story is available from Research TV http://www.research-tv.com/ to view a web version of this footage go direct to the link below and click the connection speed you want under the eye http://www.research-tv.com/stories/health/sleep/ The University of Warwick |
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| Related Sleep Deprivation Current Events and Sleep Deprivation News Articles Study shows that sleep deprivation can negatively affect information processing A study in the Nov.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that sleep deprivation causes some people to shift from a more automatic, implicit process of information categorization (information-integration) to a more controlled, explicit process (rule-based). Fighting Sleep, Penn Researchers Reverse the Cognitive Impairment Caused By Sleep Deprivation A research collaboration led by biologists and neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania has found a molecular pathway in the brain that is the cause of cognitive impairment due to sleep deprivation. First human gene implicated in regulating length of human sleep Scientists have discovered the first gene involved in regulating the optimal length of human sleep, offering a window into a key aspect of slumber, an enigmatic phenomenon that is critical to human physical and mental health. Dementia induced and blocked in Parkinson's fly model Parkinson's disease is well-known for impairing movement and causing tremors, but many patients also develop other serious problems, including sleep disturbances and significant losses in cognitive function known as dementia. Lack of sleep could be more dangerous for women than men Women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns. Sleep duration is associated with variations in levels of inflammatory markers in women A study in the July 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that levels of inflammatory markers varied significantly with self-reported sleep duration in women but not men. Poor sleep is independently associated with depression in postpartum women A study in the July 1 issue of the journal SLEEP suggests that postpartum depression may aggravate an already impaired sleep quality, as experiencing difficulties with sleep is a symptom of depression. Gene predicts how brain responds to fatigue, human study shows New imaging research in the June 24 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience helps explain why sleep deprivation affects some people more than others. Caffeine intake prevents risk taking after extreme sleep deprivation Caffeine use prevents increased risk taking that occurs after several nights of total sleep deprivation. Older adults less affected by sleep deprivation than younger adults during cognitive performance Older adults are able to retain better cognitive functioning during sleep deprivation than young adults. More Sleep Deprivation Current Events and Sleep Deprivation News Articles |
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