Does inadequate sleep play a role in vulnerability to obesity?

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide, which is cause for concern because obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, reduces life expectancy and impairs quality of life. A better understanding of the risk factors for obesity is therefore a critical global health concern and human biologists can play an important role in identifying these risk factors in various populations. The objective of this review is to present the evidence that inadequate sleep may be a novel risk factor associated with increased vulnerability to obesity and associated cardiometabolic disease. Experimental studies have found that short-term sleep restriction is associated with impaired glucose metabolism, dysregulation of appetite and increased blood pressure. Observational studies have observed cross-sectional associations between short sleep duration (generally <6 hours per night) and increased body mass index or obesity, prevalent diabetes and prevalent hypertension. Some studies also reported an association between self-reported long sleep duration (generally >8 hours per night) and cardiometabolic disease. A few prospective studies have found a significant increased risk of weight gain, incident diabetes and incident hypertension associated with inadequate sleep. Given the potential link between inadequate sleep and obesity, a critical next step is to identify the social, cultural and environmental determinants of sleep, which would help to identify vulnerable populations. Future human biology research should consider variation in sleep characteristics among different populations and determine whether the associations between sleep and obesity observed in Western populations persist elsewhere.

Genetic Correlation Analysis Suggests Association between Increased Self-Reported Sleep Duration in Adults and Schizophrenia and Type 2 Diabetes

“…Both short and long sleep duration have been associated with a number of negative health outcomes including obesity, [1][2][3][4][5] cardiovascular disease, [6][7][8] hypertension, 2,9 depression, 10 and diabetes mellitus. 11,12 However, the mechanisms behind these associations remain elusive.…”

La siesta y el exceso de peso en escolares de Mérida, Yucatán. Estudio analítico transversal

“…21 Sin embargo, en el caso de los escolares de nuestra muestra, ese tiempo que no duermen por la noche, es posiblemente el que duermen en el día, con la diferencia de que, durante el día, el aprovechamiento de las hormonas que favorecen el metabolismo y el crecimiento longitudinal no es equivalente al de la noche, lo cual favorece el metabolismo bajo y el aumento de peso. 22,23 Existen estudios que muestran que en los escolares la duración del sueño nocturno es menor en presencia de hábitos como ver la televisión por la noche o por el tipo de dieta habitual, [24][25][26] mismos que a su vez, estuvieron claramente asociados a los hábitos de siesta.…”

Sleep and obesity: an introduction

“…Hypotheses regarding the processes underlying this relationship have also been advanced, suggesting both metabolic and behavioral paths of action. Knutson [22], for instance, suggests that sleep deprivation causes increased activation of the sympathetic portion of the autonomic nervous system, increased production of GH and cortisol, reduced glucose utilization by the brain and thus alters glucose metabolism. According to the author, sleep deprivation produces changes also in eating behavior: since leptin is reduced and ghrelin elevated and since the time available for eating is increased, food intake (especially intake of highly palatable foods) increases and energy expenditure decreases.…”