Lack of Sleep Can Lead to Unhealthy Food Choices
Two recent studies presented at the SLEEP Medicine Conference in Boston this week suggest that sleep deprivation may lead to poor or unhealthy food choices. It seems that a loss of sleep can lead to dysfunction in appetite signaling in specific areas of the frontal lobe, which are responsible for making smart and informed decisions regarding food selection. This further adds to the ongoing link between sleep deprivation and obesity, suggesting that lack of sleep prevents people from making smart and healthy food choices.
In the first study, investigators evaluated 16 healthy adults (ages 18-25) with functional MRI scans after a normal nights sleep and then followed by a night of sleep deprivation. (Functional MRI scans measure brain activity by detecting associated changes based on blood flow) Researchers then asked the participants to rate their interest in 80 food items, after a night of normal sleep and after a night of sleep deprivation.
Results from this study indicated that after sleep deprivation, specific areas of the frontal lobe where complex signals are integrated regarding food choice demonstrated altered patterns of metabolism, suggesting that disruption of signals may be responsible for unhealthy food choices.
A second study from Columbia University and St Luke’s -Roosevelt Hospital Center also using functional MRI scans, suggested that lack of sleep can increase the brain’s response to unhealthy foods. After restricting sleep, it was noted that images of unhealthy foods among a cohort of normal weight participants including men and women, led to a more accentuated response in reward centers in the brain, compared with the responses to healthy foods. Important to note, this effect was only observed in individuals with restricted sleep.
This study suggests that not getting proper amounts of sleep can lead to selection of unhealthy foods, and may also potentially explain the increase in appetite and predilection for foods high in sugar and fat after a night of restricted sleep. In some ways, the body is fighting its lack of sleep with a complex set of signals, reflected in its search for foods that are sweet and high in fat content- something which we can all likely relate to!
Negative effects of consuming fast food:
• Consumption of extra calories much more than the daily recommended quantity due to deep frying of the foods or use of fatty dressings or toppings and also for the heavy portion size being consumed may ultimately lead to obesity and other lifestyle diseases.
• Presence of saturated and trans fat in foods like fries, cheese, mayonnaise, etc poses great threat on our heart health and cholesterol profile.
• Use of sugar and sodium as salt or other additive in excess may give a risk of high blood pressure or high blood sugar.
• Fast foods generally lack fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains and hence are deficient in vitamins and minerals thereby affecting our immunity and endurance to fight lifestyle diseases.
• Additives are used liberally in the fast foods to enhance the appearance, texture, flavor and palatability of these foods. But some additives might prove extremely harmful. For instance mono-sodium glutamate, commonly known as ajinomoto, used as flavoring for Chinese recipes is considered carcinogenic.
Fast food costs relatively little and tastes good, but the negative effects on physical health last much longer than these immediate concerns. It’s helpful to remember that with fast food, moderation is important and if you’re having fast food more than once a week, try to make healthier choices.
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Foods are considered “Unhealthy foods” if they:
• Provide empty calories - typically all fried and sweetened foods
• Don’t have enough fiber - all bakery and processed foods which are made of refined products.
• Take nutrients from your body and leave you more nutritionally deficient than before you ate them - caffeinated or carbonated drinks that draws calcium from bone.
• Do damage to your body in one or more ways - foods containing hydrogenated fat like margarine, that converts to trans fat after being heated to a high temperature or re-used, is the culprit for causing obesity, hypertension and heart diseases.
Unhealthy Foods to Avoid include canned soups, baked products, refined cereal meals, donuts, vegetable and non-veg fries, fatty and fried snacks, Genetically Modified Foods, hydrogenated fats and Trans-fats, ice cream and frozen desserts, processed and refined foods, processed cheese products, sausages, hot dogs, cured meats, and luncheon meats, soda pop and other artificial beverages, etc.
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Robert Glatter, MD, Contributor