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Relationship between sleep duration and childhood obesity: Systematic review including the potential underlying

R Felső1, S Lohner2, K Hollódy1

  • 1University of Pécs, Department of Paediatrics, Pécs, Hungary.

Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases : NMCD
|August 19, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Short sleep duration may contribute to childhood obesity by affecting insulin resistance and lifestyle. More high-quality research is needed to confirm these links and understand the exact mechanisms involved in pediatric weight gain.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Global obesity rates are rising, necessitating identification of risk factors.
  • Childhood obesity is a growing concern with long-term health implications.
  • Sleep duration is emerging as a potential, yet under-researched, risk factor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and synthesize evidence on the association between sleep duration and childhood obesity.
  • To explore potential physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms linking sleep and weight gain.
  • To identify gaps in current research on this topic.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive literature search of Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane CENTRAL.
  • Inclusion of studies objectively measuring sleep duration and its relation to obesity or associated factors.
  • Narrative summary of data from 33 included studies (RCTs and observational studies).

Main Results:

  • Short sleep duration is linked to increased risk of insulin resistance in children.
  • Associations were found between insufficient sleep and sedentarism and unhealthy dietary patterns.
  • The role of other factors like physical activity, screen time, and hormonal changes (ghrelin, leptin) remains uncertain.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep duration appears to influence weight gain in children, but mechanisms require further elucidation.
  • Evidence supports a link between short sleep and insulin resistance, sedentarism, and poor diet.
  • Further high-quality, large-scale studies are essential to address existing evidence gaps.
Abstract

Keywords:
Childhood obesityDietGhrelinInsulinLeptinPhysical activityScreen timeSleep duration

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