Loss of sleep interferes with weight loss

Carol Forsloff - For
those seeking to lose weight, a good night's sleep has been found
especially important, according to new research, because losing sleep
reduces the body's ability to shed fat.

Dieters

might work hard at losing weight, but those efforts are not fruitful
for those who sleep less.  When they get enough sleep, they are able to
lose fat.

Increased
hunger is part of what happens when a person restricts sleep, as the
body then triggers higher levels of ghrelin, which is a hormone that
stimulates hunger.

"If
your goal is to lose fat, skipping sleep is like poking sticks in your
bicycle wheels," said Plamen Penev, MD, PhD, lead researcher and
assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. "Cutting
back on sleep, a behavior that is ubiquitous in modern society, appears
to compromise efforts to lose fat through dieting. In our study it
reduced fat loss by 55 percent."

The
study took place at the University of Chicago's General Clinical
Resource Center where doctors followed a number of patients with high
body mass index and examined their eating and sleeping habits.

The
message from the study for people trying to lose weight is clear, Penev
tells us, in summarizing the results of the research. "For the first
time, we have evidence that the amount of sleep makes a big difference
on the results of dietary interventions. One should not ignore the way
they sleep when going on a diet. Obtaining adequate sleep may enhance
the beneficial effects of a diet. Not getting enough sleep could defeat
the desired effects."