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The Role of Sleep Duration on Energy Balance: an Update

  • Diabetes and Obesity (MC de Oliveira Otto, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The relation between sleep duration and weight status is well established, and growing evidence suggests this relation is causal. However, the mechanisms underlying the sleep/obesity relation remain controversial. We have previously reviewed the evidence relating sleep restriction to energy balance regulation, uncovering much discrepancy in physiological/hormonal explanations. Herein, we perform an in-depth assessment of the evidence, published since 2012, of the impact of sleep restriction on energy balance regulation. Increased energy intakes as a result of sleep curtailment are consistently observed, but effects on its hormonal regulators are debatable. Future studies should continue to enroll women, perform hormonal measurements under controlled, weight maintenance feeding conditions, and lengthen the intervention period beyond five nights to elucidate the mechanism linking sleep and obesity.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. St-Onge has received funding from the National Institutes of Health (1R56HL119945) and the American Heart Association (16SFRN27950012) for this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center and Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University Medical Center, 1150 St. Nicholas Avenue, 121H, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ashlee Bormes & Ismel Salazar

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  1. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
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  2. Ashlee Bormes
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  3. Ismel Salazar
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Correspondence to Marie-Pierre St-Onge.

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Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ashlee Bormes, and Ismel Salazar declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Diabetes and Obesity

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St-Onge, MP., Bormes, A. & Salazar, I. The Role of Sleep Duration on Energy Balance: an Update. Curr Nutr Rep 5, 278–285 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-016-0178-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-016-0178-2

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