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Older Men Increase Risk of Diabetes with Too Much or
Too Little Sleep
Previous studies show the same is true for women
March 24, 2006 - If life is not complicated enough
as we grow older, now the latest sleep research gives us a new worry by saying older men who sleep too
much – or too little – are increasing their risk of developing Type 2
diabetes.
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According the study by the New England Research
Institutes in collaboration with Yale School of Medicine researchers,
six to eight hours of sleep was found to be most healthy.
In contrast, men who reported they slept between
five and six hours per night were twice as likely to develop diabetes
and men who slept more than eight hours per night were three times as
likely to develop diabetes, according to the lead author, H. Klar Yaggi,
M.D., professor in Yale's Department of Internal Medicine, pulmonary
section.
And, just so women should not feel they are off the
hook, the researchers point out that previous data from the Nurses
Health Study have shown similar results in women.
"These elevated risks remained after adjustment for
age, hypertension, smoking status, self-rated health status and
education," Yaggi said.
He said researchers are just beginning to recognize
the hormonal and metabolic implications of too little sleep. Among the
documented effects, Yaggi said, are striking alterations in metabolic
and endocrine function including decreased carbohydrate tolerance,
insulin resistance, and lower levels of the hormone leptin leading to
obesity. The mechanisms by which long sleep duration increase diabetes
risk requires further investigation.
"There is a lot of interest in determining whether
sleep disturbances such as a reduced amount of sleep or disorders like
sleep apnea may actually worsen the metabolic syndrome," said Yaggi.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors including high blood
pressure, obesity, high cholesterol and insulin resistance which
increase the risk for heart disease and stroke.
The data published in the March issue of Diabetes
Care were obtained from 1,709 men, 40 to 70 years old. The men were
enrolled in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study and were followed for 15
years with home visits, a health questionnaire and blood samples.
About the study
Co-authors include Andre Araujo and John McKinlay.
The research was supported in part by the National Institute on Aging,
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders,
the Yale Mentored Clinical Research Scholars Program from the National
Center for Research Resources, and a career development award from the
Veterans Affairs Health Services and Research and Development Service.
Diabetes Care 29: 657-661 (March 2006)
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