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Losing Weight Doesn't Cure Sleep Apnea
Reported October 16, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study found while a strict diet and
exercise program may benefit obese patients with mild to moderate
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it is unlikely to eliminate the condition.
Results show improvement in typical OSA symptoms including snoring, daytime
sleepiness, impaired vigilance, poor quality of life and mood after the
completion of a 16-week diet and exercise program. The average weight loss
was about 27 pounds. Although the weight loss reduced the number of
breathing pauses per hour of sleep, the change was not statistically
significant.
“Although there was some improvement in sleep disordered breathing, it was
not seen in all patients and was not proportional to the degree of weight
loss," Maree Barnes, Principle Investigator of the study and sleep medicine
specialist at Austin Hospital was quoted as saying.
Researchers say weight loss should be combined with primary treatment for
OSA because of the low success rate of dietary programs and the low cure
rate by dietary approach alone. They recommend positive airway pressure
(PAP) therapy as the treatment of choice for all severity levels of OSA.
SOURCE: Journal of the Clinical Sleep Medicine, October 15, 2009 |
