Sleep to fight fat
8 December 2004
by Richard
Conan-Davies
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It sounds like a a bit of scam really, lose weight by sleeping? Well it seems that researchers from Stanford and Bristol Universities have show that people who sleep longer tend to be less obsese. This seems to be due to two hormones that act to affect how hungry people get. The hormone ghrelin increases feelings of hunger but leptin acts to reduce that feeling of hunger. Dr Shahrad Taher, the lead author of the study, explained to the University of Bristol that "We found that people who slept for shorter durations have reduced leptin and elevated ghrelin. These differences are likely to increase appetite and, in societies where food is readily available, this may contribute to obesity. Individuals who spent less than 8 hours sleeping were shown to have a greater likelihood of being heavier. Good sleep, in combination with other lifestyle modifications may be important in fighting obesity" |
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