People who do not get enough sleep are more likely to lose weightIn other words, poor sleep quality undermines diets and facilitates the recovery of any lost weight, according to a new Danish scientific study.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, led by the professor Signe Torekovwho made the announcement at the European Union’s Annual Obesity Study in Maastricht, the Netherlands, conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 195 people aged 18 to 65 with obesity (body mass index 32 to 43 ).
Participants did initially a very low calorie diet (800 per day) for eight weeks, during which lost an average of 12% of their body weight. Then they were divided into groups and for a year some took a daily medicine that facilitated the weight loss, some were taking placebo, some were exercising and some were combining exercise with the drug. At the same time, the duration and quality of their sleep were monitored through a device and questionnaires.
It was found that after the initial weight loss through diet improved in all participants more or less the duration and quality of their sleep. After a year, those who – meanwhile – had exercised, had maintained this improvement in their sleep, while those who did not exercise had lost it. Also, the drug (liraglutide) did not improve sleep more than placebo.
Yet, those who from the beginning of the study slept less than six hours a day increased over the next year by an average of 1.3 points their body mass index, compared to those who slept more than six hours. Proportionate (1.2 points) was the weight gain for those who had the worst score in terms of their sleep quality (very light sleep, continuous breaks, etc.).
The researchers concluded that dieting effort should be accompanied by improved sleep and exercise for at least two hours a week will help. Previous research has shown that in developed countries more than a third of adults do not get enough sleep (at least six hours) due to stress, use of electronic devices, overwork, etc. Inadequate sleep and poor quality increase the risk of hypertension, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart attack and premature death.
A second British-Danish study, led by Dr. Mark Evans of Cardiff University Hospital, presented at the same conference, analyzed data on 1,850 obese people with an average age of 53 and a body mass index of more than 30 from six countries (Britain, France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Spain).
He found that 80% of participants had tried to lose weight in the previous year, but only 25% had managed to lose at least 5% of their weight. In other words, for most it was a futile endeavor. The most common methods of weight loss were diet (72% of individuals), exercise (22%) and the use of relevant drugs (12%).
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