Tuesday 23 October 2012

Slimming: if lack of sleep is bigger

Lack of sleep exhausts us. Our cells also. Under the effect of fatigue, they release less energy and store more, according to U.S. researchers.
We know the risks of sleep deprivation on our metabolism: increased risk of diabetes, stroke, hypertension, and overweight. The bigger risk when you do not get enough sleep has long been emphasized by researchers. The process seems logical when you are tired, you tend to eat more when we do not spend more energy. Women are also more greedy than men when they do not have enough sleep, eating 329 more calories each day.
A new U.S. study puts forward another explanation that a greater appetite for weight gain. Fat cells (adipocytes) would operate at idle when in fact we are "flappy". Faced with a lack of sleep, the fat cells no longer respond properly to insulin, a hormone that regulates glucose storage and use. Adipocytes then would release blood fat instead of burn to provide energy.
"Our fat cells need rest to function properly, said Matthew Brady, an author of the study and researcher at the University of Chicago. If you are sleep deprived, your brain may feel groggy and [...] your fat cells are metabolically groggy too. "This would cause metabolic dysfunction possible complications such as diabetes and overweight.
The researchers came to this conclusion following six men and a woman of 24 years. They slept 4 hours and a half for 4 nights and 8 hours a night for four nights that followed. Their response to insulin before and after sleep deprivation was measured. It turns out that the body has reacted 16% less when the body was deprived of sleep. And the response of fat cells to insulin decreased by 30%.
7 hours sleep per night would be a good way to reduce the risk of weight gain and diabetes. Especially another American study showed that little sleep increases the risk of having a genetic high BMI.

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