(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Adolescents who don't get enough sleep may gain
more than extra time to play video games or text their friends. They also may
gain weight.
In research led by Leslie A. Lytle, Ph.D., from the Center for Child Health,
Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute, investigators
collected data on 723 adolescents (mean age 14.7 years) about how long they
slept on weeknights and weekends, and how frequently they experienced sleep
problems. Researchers also asked the youths about the foods and beverages they
had had the previous day to determine how many calories they consumed.
For seven days, participants wore accelerometers on their belts to measure
movement. The wearers could not see any data on how active they were.
Researchers also measured participants' weight, body mass index (BMI) and
percentage of body fat.
"The use of accelerometers and 24-hour (dietary) recalls was unique in the study
of sleep and weight in youth and is a real strength of the study," Dr. Lytle was
quoted as saying.
Results showed that shorter sleep duration was related to higher BMI. The
relationship was especially strong for boys and for middle school students. In
girls, less sleep only on weekends was related to higher BMI.
"Sleep has long been recognized as an important health behavior," Dr. Lytle
said. "We are just beginning to recognize its relationship to overweight and
obesity in children and adults alike."
SOURCE: Presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. May 4, 2010
