Insufficient sleep undermines weight loss efforts

January 01, 0001

Insufficient sleep undermines weight loss efforts

These US investigators conducted a randomized controlled cross- over trial to determine whether sleep restriction attenuates the effect of a reduced-calorie diet on excess adiposity. They enrolled 10 overweight nonsmoking adults (3 women and 7 men) with a mean age of 41 years and a mean body mass index of 27.4 kg/m2. the intervention was 14 days of moderate caloric restriction with 8.5 or 5.5 hours of nighttime sleep opportunity.

They found: "Sleep curtailment decreased the proportion of weight lost as fat by 55% (1.4 vs. 0.6 kg with 8.5 vs. 5.5 hours of sleep opportunity, respectively) and increased the loss of fat-free body mass by 60% (1.5 vs. 2.4 kg). This was accompanied by markers of enhanced neuroendocrine adaptation to caloric restriction, increased hunger, and a shift in relative substrate utilization toward oxidation of less fat."

The authors concluded: "The amount of human sleep contributes to the maintenance of fat-free body mass at times of decreased energy intake. Lack of sufficient sleep may compromise the efficacy of typical dietary interventions for weight loss and related metabolic risk reduction."

Getting enough sleep is also an important lifestyle consideration.


For the full abstract, click here.

Annals of Internal Medicine 153(7):435-441, 5 October 2010
© 2010 to the American College of Physicians
Insufficient Sleep Undermines Dietary Efforts to Reduce Adiposity. Arlet V. Nedeltcheva, Jennifer M. Kilkus, Jacqueline Imperial, Dale A. Schoeller, and Plamen D. Penev. Correspondence to Dr. Penev: [email protected]

Category: T. Endocrine/Metabolic/Nutritional. Keywords: sleep, weight loss, caloric restriction, overweight, adults, randomized controlled trial, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Linda French, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 26 October 2010

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