Lack of Sleep Makes your Brain Hungry

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New research from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that a specific brain region that contributes to a person's appetite sensation is more activated in response to food images after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people's risk of becoming overweight in the long run. The findings are published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Researchers Christian Benedict and Helgi Schiöth, of the Department of Neuroscience at Uppsala University, showed in an earlier article, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that a single night of total sleep loss in young normal weight men curbed the energy expenditure the next morning. This research also showed that subjects had increased levels of hunger, which indicates that an acute lack of sleep may affect human's food perception.

In a new study, Christian Benedict, together with Samantha Brooks, Helgi Schiöth and Elna-Marie Larsson from Uppsala University and researchers from other European universities, have now systematically examined which regions in the brain, involved in appetite sensation, are influenced by acute sleep loss. By means of magnetic imaging (fMRI) the researchers studied the brains of 12 normal-weight males while they viewed images of foods. The researchers compared the results after a night with normal sleep with those obtained after one night without sleep.

Christian Benedict explains: "After a night of total sleep loss, these males showed a high level of activation in an area of the brain that is involved in a desire to eat. Bearing in mind that insufficient sleep is a growing problem in modern society, our results may explain why poor sleep habits can affect people's risk to gain weight in the long run. It may therefore be important to sleep about eight hours every night to maintain a stable and healthy body weight."

^{Benedict C, Brooks S J, O'Daly O G, Almén M S, Morell A, Åberg K, Gingnell M, Schultes B, Hallschmid M, Broman J-E, Larsson E-M, and Schiöth H B. Acute sleep deprivation enhances the brain's response to hedonic food stimuli: an fMRI study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinol Metab, in press.}

The papers, published ahead of the UN’s first high-level meeting on non-communicable disease in September, highlight the possible health and economic burdens of obesity if it’s left unchecked.

The research states that 15 million people are already obese in the UK and suggests this could rise by 11 million over the next two decades. The researchers estimate this will drive up spending on obesity related health problems by 25 per cent each year, costing the NHS an extra £2 billion annually.

Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “These predicted figures for obesity and heart disease in the UK are deeply worrying and show how urgently action is needed. And it’s not just the UK, obesity is now a global pandemic fuelling diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. If we fail to tackle it now we’ll leave a legacy of people living poor quality lives and dying young.

“What we have to remember is that obesity is a ‘normal response’ to our environment. Culturally, we’re reliant on cars, our jobs and leisure activities are increasingly sedentary and we are faced with an abundance of easily available high-energy foods.

“Yet while we all have a role to play in tackling this problem, this research recognises that national governments are the most significant players - ahead of individuals, industry and civil society. In the UK, we need our Government to take the lead and make it easier to be healthier, such as by ensuring children are fully protected from junk food marketing on and off line.”

The studies are published in the Lancet.

ENDS

For more information please call the BHF press office on 020 7554 0164 or 07764 290381 (out of hours) or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Notes to editors:

Statement issued in response to a series of four studies published in the Lancet on Friday 26 August 2011.

“Obesity 1: The global obesity pandemic: shaped by global drivers and local environments” by Boyd A Swinburn et al. Lancet 2011; 378: 804–14

“Obesity 2: Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK” by Y Claire Wang et al. Lancet 2011; 378: 815–25

“Obesity 3: Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on Bodyweight” by Kevin D Hall et al. Lancet 2011; 378: 826–37

“Obesity 4: Changing the future of obesity: science, policy, and action” by Steven L Gortmaker et al. Lancet 2011; 378: 838–47

The British Heart Foundation is the nation’s heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information. But we urgently need help. We rely on donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work. Because together we can beat heart disease.

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