Habitual Meat Consumption and Changes in Sleep Duration and Quality in Older Adults

Abstract

Dietary proteins are sources of some amino acid precursors of two neurotransmitters relevant for biological rhythms, serotonin and melatonin, which are involved in sleep and alertness. Meat is the main source of proteins in many countries. Furthermore, meat consumption is of special interest because it provides high-quality protein as well as saturated and trans fatty acids. However, its effect on sleep patterns is unclear. Thereby, the aim was to examine the association of habitual meat consumption with changes in sleep duration and with sleep quality in older adults. We used data from 1,341 participants in the Seniors-ENRICA cohort aged ≥60 years, followed from 2012 through 2015. Habitual meat consumption was assessed at baseline with a validated diet history. Sleep duration and quality were ascertained both in 2012 and 2015. Analyses were performed with logistic regression and adjusted for socio-demographic variables, lifestyle, morbidity, sleep duration and poor sleep indicators at baseline. During follow-up, 9.0% of individuals increased and 7.9% decreased their sleep duration by ≥2 hours/night. Compared with individuals in the lowest tertile of meat consumption (<87 g/d), those in the highest tertile (≥128 g/d) showed increased incidence of a large decrease (≥2 h) in sleep duration (OR: 1.93; 95% CI:1.01-3.72; p-trend:0.04). Higher consumption of meat was also associated with incidence of snoring (OR:2.06; 95% CI:1.17-3.60; p-trend:0.01) and poor general sleep quality (OR:1.71; 95% CI:1.04-2.82; p-trend:0.03). Each 100 g/d increment in meat intake was associated with a 60% higher risk of both large sleep duration changes and poor sleep quality (OR:1.60; 95% CI:1.07-2.40). Results were in the same direction for red and processed meat and for white meat separately, and among individuals with physical impairment. Higher meat consumption (≥128 g/d) was associated with changes in sleep duration and with poor sleep in older adults.

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“…For example, baseline intakes of red and processed meats were not related to overall sleep quality nor its components in this cohort. This contrasts with a previous study in older Spanish adults from the Seniors-ENRICA cohort [40], which found that higher total meat intake was associated with increased odds of poor sleep. Differences may be explained by our focus on red meat, rather than total meat intake, or by a narrower range of meat consumption in the current cohort, driven by lower red meat intakes.…”

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“…Sleep problems can lead to adverse health outcomes in older people. A significant alteration in sleep duration and/or quality are linked to cardiometabolic diseases, cognitive decline, and frailty [25, 62-67], implying that sleep disorder can aggravate the outcomes of the aging process. Hence, maintenance of physical and mental function in old age also depends on achieving a good sleep pattern.…”

“…Serotonin and melatonin represent two neurotransmitters important for biological rhythms such as sleep and alertness. Since amino acids required for the synthesis of these neurotransmitters come from diet, Lana and colleagues examined the association of chronic meat consumption with changes in sleep duration and with sleep quality in older adults [25], using three years of data from 1,341 participants aged ≥60 years. The authors report that in comparison to individuals in the lowest meat consumption (<87 g/d), those in the highest meat intake (≥128 g/d) exhibited a substantial decline (≥2 h) in sleep duration.…”

“…The April 2019 issue of the journal, "Aging & Disease" comprises articles that provide fresh insights on multiple age-related conditions and diseases. The discussed topics related to aging include the effect of overweight on energy metabolism and muscle integrity [16], chronic inflammation in aging and age-related diseases [17], links between C-reactive protein levels and corpus callosum changes [18], microRNAs and genetic nexus of brain aging [19], cardiac and pulmonary fibrosis [20], asymptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis [21], involvement of mir-181b-5p and high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) pathway in hypertension [22], the role of Yes-Associated protein in cataract formation [23], the role of miRNAs in diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease [24], meat consumption and sleep [25], and links between glycated hemoglobin and depression [26]. Furthermore, two articles discussed the influence of environment and lifestyle on the incidence and progression of ALS [27] and the efficacy of collagen XIX alpha 1 for improving the prognosis of ALS [28].…”

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“…Other cross-sectional literature found links between higher social jetlag and worse-quality diets [ 36 ], although it is typically thought about in the reverse direction (i.e., social jetlag affecting diet). Further, animal studies and small human experimental studies have shown that high-saturated-fat diets may impact circadian rhythms [ 37 , 38 , 39 ] and other studies have found that red meat is associated with lower sleep duration and worse sleep quality [ 40 ], sleep characteristics that are often concomitant with social jetlag.…”