ICPHSP3007
“Importance of Sleep in the Prevention and Management of Obesity” Click here to download Pdf file.
Author: Christopher Papandreou
Affiliation: Department of Nutrition & Dietetics,
Technological Education Institute of Crete, Sitia, Greece
Abstract:
Over the past several decades, the prevalence of obesity has grown to epidemic proportions. Obesity estimates from 2008 show that 21.3% of the adult population (> 20 years old) in Albania was obese. Moreover, according to data from the Albania Demographic and Health Survey 2008-2009, the proportion of boys and girls aged 15-19 years that were obese was 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively. This obesity epidemic has been paralleled in modern society by a trend of reduced sleep duration. Poor sleep quality, which is often associated with overall sleep loss, has also become a frequent complaint. Evidence has grown over the past decade supporting a role for short sleep duration as a novel risk factor for obesity in children and adults. Specifically, approximately 50 epidemiological studies done in different geographical regions have examined the association between sleep and obesity in adults and children. Most of them found a significant association between short sleep and increased obesity risk. A number of causal pathways linking reduced sleep with obesity have been suggested based on experimental studies of sleep deprivation. Chronic sleep deprivation causes feelings of fatigue which may lead to reduced physical activity. On the other hand, insufficient sleep may predispose to weight gain through an increase in food intake and adoption of unhealthy dietary patterns. Currently, there is a lack of interventional studies in real life conditions aimed at increasing sleep duration and improving sleep quality in order to prevent weight gain or facilitate weight loss. Until results from such studies are available, the current evidence supports recommending sufficient amounts of habitual sleep and good sleep hygiene in subjects at risk of obesity. Sleep should not be overlooked in obesity research and should be included as part of the lifestyle package that traditionally has focused on diet and physical activity.
Keywords:
Obesity; Sleep; Diet; Physical activity.
References:
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