Poor sleep equaled poor food choices in the latest Scandinavian study that concluded men who were sleep-deprived were significantly more likely to purchase food with greater calories than men with a good night’s rest.
Christian Benedict, PhD, of Sweden’s Uppsala University, found that sleep deprivation was associated with food purchases significantly higher in calories (9% or greater) and mass (18% or greater). The study titled “Acute sleep deprivation increases food purchasing in men”, as outlined in the Journal Obesity, showed patients who were sleep deprived made worse choices on the day following the poor night’s sleep.
According to a report, researchers gauged food purchasing habits of 14 normal-weight Swedish men participating in a two-condition, within-subject crossover study following a night of healthy sleep or sleep deprivation that was part of a larger sleep deprivation investigation.
Participants engaged in an experimental supermarket scenario where they would be given 300 Swedish kronor ($50 USD) to restock their empty pantry. They were also required to maximize their budget and to purchase an equal number of easily consumed foods and foods requiring preparation.
The authors concluded that this “suggests that increased food purchasing in the morning after nocturnal wakefulness may represent another mechanism through which a repeated or chronic lack of sleep promotes weight gain.”
They also noted that the study was limited by experimental design, a purely male study population, use of total sleep deprivation rather than partial sleep deprivation, and a small sample size.
Source: Obesity Research Journal
