Study Says A Night Of Poor Sleep Means Six Months Of High-Fat Diet

A new study suggests that a night of poor sleep and six months of high-fat diet can have same effect on your insulin sensitivity. This study was conducted by Dr. Josiane Broussard, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

About the research Dr. Broussard said,

Research has shown that sleep deficiency and a high-fat diet both lead to impaired insulin sensitivity, but it was previously unknown which leads to more severe insulin resistance,

Insulin is a hormone that balances the blood sugar level and prevents it from becoming too high or too less. A night of bad sleep lowers insulin sensitivity in the body in the same degree as having a high-fat diet for six months. This essentially means not having enough insulin in the body to stabilize the blood sugar level. Eventually, this might end up causing Type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the blood sugar level is high and insulin fails to balance it.

About the results of this study Dr. Broussard stated that,

Our study suggests that one night of total sleep deprivation may be as detrimental to insulin sensitivity as six months on a high-fat diet. This research demonstrates the importance of adequate sleep in maintaining blood sugar levels and reducing risk for metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes.

This study was conducted on eight male dogs. The researchers studied the insulin sensitivity in the dogs before as well as after diet-induced obesity. Before feeding them high-fat, IV glucose tolerance test was done on the sleep deprived dogs for measuring their insulin sensitivity and then the researchers compared these results with the ones who had normal sleep. Then, the dogs were fed high-fat diet for six months and again tested. Shockingly, the sleep deprivation reduced insulin sensitivity by 33% and the high-fat diet for six months reduced it by 21%. However, after the high-fat diet sleep deprivation did not impaired insulin sensitivity.

Apart for insulin sensitivity, lack of sleep can also instigate increased food consumption as well as enhance the risks of metabolism related diseases. This study shows the importance of sleep and understanding what causes obesity as well as will help find prevention and cures of various serious health conditions.

Story Inputs: Science Daily