Association between EAT-Lancet diet and the incident sleep apnea

In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission proposed a predominantly plant-based diet aimed at enhancing human health and supporting environmental sustainability. However, its relationship with sleep apnea has not been extensively studied. This study aimed to investigate the association between adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and the risk of developing sleep apnea.

The analysis included 200,373 participants from the UK Biobank. Dietary intake was assessed according to a modified diet history approach, and an EAT-Lancet diet index (scored 0-42 points) was calculated. Cox proportional hazards regression models were conducted to investigate the relationship between the EAT-Lancet diet and the risk of sleep apnea, while causal mediation analyses were used to assess the mediating role of BMI in this association.

Over a mean 11.6 years follow-up, 2924 cases of sleep apnea (17.1%) were recorded. Participants with the highest adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet had an 18% lower risk of sleep apnea (95% CI: 6%-28%) compared to those with the lowest adherence (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the relationship between the EAT-Lancet diet and sleep apnea risk was 26.4% (95% CI: 13.6%-44.8%) mediated by BMI.

These findings indicate that higher adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet is associated with a lower risk of developing sleep apnea, with BMI partially mediating this association.