Study: Lack of sleep causes weight gain and belly fat accumulation

A new study conducted by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in the United States, and its results were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that people who do not get enough sleep tend to eat more food, and this turns into deep belly fat.

Where lack of sleep with free access to food leads to increased calorie consumption and fat accumulation;

Especially the unhealthy fat inside the abdomen.

The results of the study revealed that not getting enough sleep led to a 9 percent increase in total abdominal fat and an 11 percent increase in visceral fat;

It is the fat deposited deep in the abdomen around the internal organs, which is closely linked to heart and metabolic diseases, according to the newspaper, "South China Morning Post."

“Our findings show that poor sleep, even in young and healthy adults, is associated with increased calorie intake, a very small increase in weight and a significant increase in intra-abdominal fat accumulation,” says Dr. Ferind Sommers, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and lead author of the study.

"Normally, fat is deposited under the skin, but it appears that insufficient sleep redirects the fat to the more dangerous visceral space...and most importantly.

Although a decrease in calories and weight occurred during the recovery period, visceral fat continued to increase.

This suggests that insufficient sleep is a previously unknown cause of visceral fat deposition, and that subsequent sleep, at least in the short term, does not reflect visceral fat accumulation.”

"In the long term, these findings point to insufficient sleep as a contributor to the obesity epidemics and cardiovascular and metabolic disease," Summers explains.

Twelve healthy, non-obese subjects spent two 21-day sessions in the study.

They were randomly assigned to the normal sleep group (the control group) or the restricted sleep group during one session, and vice versa during the next session, with a period of three months in between.

Each group was free to choose food throughout the study period.

The researchers monitored the number of calories they ate, how much energy they burned, and body weight and composition with fat distribution;

including visceral or intra-abdominal fat;

With vital signs of appetite.

For the acclimation period in the first four days, all participants were allowed nine hours in bed to sleep.

Over the next two weeks, the restricted sleep group was allowed four hours of sleep and the control group lasted nine hours.

This was followed by three days and nights of recovery with nine hours in bed for both groups.

Participants consumed more than 300 extra calories per day during the sleep restriction, and ate about 13 percent more protein and 17 percent more fat, compared to the acclimation phase.

This increase in consumption was highest in the early days of sleep deprivation and then declined to starting levels during the recovery period.

The energy burn remained mostly the same throughout.

In it, says Naima Kovacin, a researcher in cardiovascular medicine who led the study, “Visceral fat accumulation was only detected by computed tomography and it could have been missed, especially since the weight gain was very modest (only about lb - 0.45 kg). )».

"Weight measurements alone would be (incorrectly) reassuring in terms of the health consequences of inadequate sleep," Covasin said.

Of concern, however, are the potential effects of repeated periods of inadequate sleep in terms of gradual and cumulative increases in visceral fat over several years.”

"Behavioural interventions, such as increased exercise and healthier food choices, should be considered for people who cannot easily avoid sleep disturbances as shift workers," Summers says.

More study is needed to determine how these findings in healthy young adults relate to people at higher risk, such as those who are already obese, have metabolic syndrome or have diabetes.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news