sleep may be key to maintaining weight loss A study from the University of Copenhagen found that getting good quality sleep can support people’s attempts to maintain weight loss after a diet. The researchers analyzed results from a controlled trial that investigated changes in sleep length and quality in adults following a weight-loss diet. The participants, 195 people ages 18 to 65 with obesity, lost an average of 12 percent of their body weight during an eight-week lowcalorie diet. They were then randomly assigned to an exercise group, a group given a weight-loss drug, a group that exercised and took the drug, or a placebo group, and followed for a year. The study measured sleep duration of all participants, who also self-rated their sleep quality. The study found that sleep quality and duration improved for all participants after the eight-week diet. But after a year, those in the exercise groups maintained their improved sleep quality, while those in the nonexercise groups did not. Also, those who averaged under six hours of sleep per night gained weight as compared to those who slept more than six hours. One way to achieve a good night’s sleep every night? The research indicates that about two hours of vigorous physical activity a week can support sleep quality and duration. SOURCE “Poor sleep may undermine people’s attempts to keep weight off,” European Association for the Study of Obesity, 5/4/22
healthy eating lowers diabetes chances Regardless of genetic risk factors, eating a healthy diet is associated with a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a team of Boston-based researchers determined. The scientists aimed to explore whether diet and genetic factors interacted in terms of Type 2 diabetes risk. They analyzed data from three studies including 35,759 people and found that a low-quality diet linked to a 30 percent increased risk of developing the disease, irrespective of family background of Type 2 diabetes. SELECTED SOURCES “Polygenic scores, diet quality, and Type 2 diabetes risk: An observational study among 35,759 adults from 3 US cohorts” by Jordi Merino et al., PLoS Medicine, 4/22 • “Poor diet associated with increased diabetes risk across all gradients of genetic risk,” PLoS news release, 4/26/22
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