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Blunted rest-activity rhythms link to higher body mass index and inflammatory markers in children

Jingyi Qian1,2, Nuria Martinez-Lozano3,4, Asta Tvarijonaviciute5

  • 1Medical Chronobiology Program, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

Sleep
|November 29, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Children with weaker rest-activity rhythms have higher BMI and inflammation. Improving these rhythms early may prevent childhood obesity and related inflammation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Chronobiology
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Disturbances in daily rest-activity patterns are linked to increased body mass index (BMI) in adults.
  • The relationship between rest-activity rhythms and childhood obesity is not well understood.
  • This study investigates the connection between rest-activity patterns and BMI in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between rest-activity rhythm characteristics and BMI z-score in school-aged children.
  • To investigate the link between rest-activity rhythm metrics and obesity-related inflammatory markers in children.
  • To explore potential early intervention strategies for childhood obesity.

Main Methods:

  • 411 healthy Spanish children (mean age 10.1 years) wore accelerometers for 7 days.
  • Rest-activity rhythm metrics were analyzed using parametric and nonparametric methods.
  • Salivary inflammatory markers were measured in a subset of participants (n=121).

Main Results:

  • Lower relative amplitude of rest-activity rhythms was associated with higher BMI z-score (p=0.02).
  • This association remained significant after adjusting for sleep duration but attenuated after accounting for daytime activity.
  • Less robust rhythms correlated with elevated pro-inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, independently of BMI and activity levels.

Conclusions:

  • Blunted rest-activity rhythms are associated with higher BMI and pro-inflammatory markers in children.
  • These associations appear independent of sleep duration and, for inflammation, also independent of daytime activity.
  • Enhancing rest-activity rhythm strength in early life may offer a novel target for preventing childhood obesity and associated inflammation.
Abstract

Keywords:
activity rhythmbody mass indexinflammationrestschool-aged children

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