Associations Between Sleep and Metabolic Outcomes in Preadolescent Children
Jasmin Marie Alves1,2, Ting Chow3, Selena Nguyen-Rodriguez4
1Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90033 CA, USA.
Insights
Adequate sleep duration in children is linked to better metabolic health, including improved insulin sensitivity and lower body fat. Sleep duration’s positive impact on insulin sensitivity is partly mediated by body fat levels.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric metabolic health
- Sleep science
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Growing evidence highlights sleep's crucial role in children's metabolic health.
- Childhood sleep disturbances are increasingly recognized as potential contributors to metabolic dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between objectively measured sleep parameters and metabolic health markers in children.
- To examine associations with insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, beta-cell function, and adiposity.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-two children (7-11 years) underwent 7-day wrist accelerometer monitoring for sleep assessment.
- Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and anthropometric measurements were conducted.
- Linear regression analyzed associations between sleep parameters (total sleep time, sleep efficiency, etc.) and metabolic outcomes (Matsuda ISI, IGI, DI, adiposity measures).
Main Results:
- Longer total sleep time (TST) was associated with better insulin sensitivity (Matsuda ISI) and lower body fat percentage and waist-to-height ratio.
- Body fat percentage partially mediated the relationship between TST and insulin sensitivity.
- No significant associations were found between sleep parameters and insulin secretion or beta-cell function (IGI, DI).
Conclusions:
- Objectively measured sleep duration is linked to reduced adiposity in preadolescent children.
- The association between sleep duration and insulin sensitivity is partly explained by adiposity levels.
- Promoting adequate sleep duration may be important for maintaining children's metabolic health.
Context:
Growing evidence suggests an important role for sleep for the metabolic health of children.
Objective:
We aimed to determine how sleep is related to insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, beta-cell function, and adiposity (BMI z-scores, body fat %, waist to height ratio) using objectively measured sleep and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-derived measures.
Methods:
Sixty-two children aged 7-11 years, born at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, wore wrist accelerometers for 7 days to objectively measure sleep, completed an OGTT, and had anthropometric measures (height [cm], weight [kg], waist [cm], body fat [%]) collected. Using linear regression, associations between Matsuda insulin sensitivity index (ISI), insulinogenic index (IGI), disposition index (DI), BMI z-score, waist to height ratio, and body fat % with sleep parameters [total sleep time (TST; min), sleep efficiency (SE; %), time in bed (TIB; min), wake after sleep onset (WASO; min), and sleep latency (SL; min)] were assessed. Body fat % was tested as a mediator of the relationship between TST and ISI.
Results:
Longer TST was associated with better insulin sensitivity (P = 0.02), but not after adjusting for body fat %. Sleep parameters were not associated with IGI or DI. Longer TST was associated with lower % body fat (P = 0.01) and lower waist-to-height-ratios (P = 0.05). Body fat % explained 62% (P = 0.01) of the relationship between TST and ISI. Longer TIB was associated with lower adiposity measures (P < 0.05). There were no associations between SE, WASO, or SL and metabolic outcomes.
Conclusion:
Objectively measured sleep duration was associated with lower adiposity, and the relationship between sleep duration and ISI appeared partly through adiposity levels in preadolescent children. Longer sleep duration may be important for metabolic health.
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