Associations of Sleep with Food Cravings, Diet, and Obesity in Adolescence

Abstract

Background: Sleep and dietary intake/quality can contribute to excess weight gain, but food cravings may influence these relationships. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship of adolescents' sleep characteristics with dietary intake/quality and obesity and whether food cravings mediated these relationships. Methods: Sleep measures were calculated based on 24-h accelerometry, and height and weight were directly measured to calculate body mass index (BMI) z-scores. Food cravings were assessed by the Food Craving Inventory (FCI). Dietary intake and quality were calculated based on dietary recalls. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the associations among sleep, food cravings, dietary intake/quality, and obesity, adjusting for confounders. Results: In total, 256 adolescents (ages 10-16 years) had complete data; 42% were non-White and 45% were boys. Sleep efficiency was inversely associated with sweet cravings and FCI-28. Sleep duration, meeting the sleep duration guidelines, and fruit/vegetable cravings were each positively associated with dietary quality. Sleep duration was negatively associated with BMI z-score. Mediation models were not performed as no sleep parameter was associated with both cravings and dietary intake/quality or BMI z-score. Conclusions: Associations existed among poor sleep, quantity and quality, with more frequent food cravings and worse dietary quality. Sleep may underlie adolescent obesogenic behaviors.

Relationship between Sleep and Hedonic Appetite in Shift Workers

“…Consecutive nights of short sleep duration (5 h) have also been shown to increase food intake in excess of the energy an individual requires, another potential contributor to the weight gain observed in shift workers [30]. Our finding that short sleep duration is associated with more food cravings is also consistent with other cross-sectional studies [20,31].…”

Duração do sono, excesso de peso e consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados em adolescentes

“…Os achados podem sugerir que o ritmo circadiano possui influência na alimentação e que um comportamento alimentar positivo depende de uma duração de sono alinhada ao relógio biológico do adolescente 57 . Estudo realizado por Kracht et al 58 mostrou que quanto maior a duração do sono dos adolescentes menor o desejo por alimentos doces e gordurosos.…”

Associations of sleep with food cravings and loss‐of‐control eating in youth: An ecological momentary assessment study

“…Findings from the few studies examining the association between sleep and food cravings, or food craving‐related constructs (e.g., desire for food and food appeal) in youth are inconsistent. For example, Kracht et al 16 cross‐sectionally analysed multiple facets of sleep and frequency of food cravings and found that sleep efficiency (i.e., the proportion of time one is asleep while lying in bed), but not sleep duration or variability, was related to cravings for foods high in fat and carbohydrates. Yet, preliminary experimental studies among adolescents have linked earlier bedtimes to lower desires for sweet foods 17 and shorter sleep duration to increased desires for sweets 18 .…”