Scientists have warned about the dangerous consequences of lack of sleep

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Lack of sleep increases the risk of fat accumulation, especially diseased fatty deposits in the abdomen. Scientists from the Mayo Clinic (USA) came to this conclusion.

The results of their study were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). According to experts, during longer waking hours associated with lack of sleep, people tend to eat more. At the same time, their physical activity does not increase.

The group participating in the experiment consisted of 12 healthy, non-obese people. Each of them spent two 21-day sessions in hospital conditions. The participants were randomly assigned to a control group with normal sleep or a sleep-restricted group, which slept four hours each. Each group had access to a free choice of food throughout the study.

The scientists monitored and measured energy intake and expenditure, body weight and composition, fat distribution, including visceral fat. This is a type of fat that accumulates in the abdominal cavity and is considered particularly dangerous. It has a bad effect on hormonal function and the work of internal organs, and increases the risk of a number of diseases.

“Our results show that even in young, healthy and relatively thin people, shortened sleep is associated with increased calorie intake, a small increase weight and a significant increase in the accumulation of visceral fat,” says Dr. Virend Somers, MD and lead author of the study.

The expert explains: normally, fat is deposited mainly under the skin. But insufficient sleep apparently redirects them to more dangerous visceral areas. At the same time, although weight decreased during restorative sleep after the end of the sleep deprivation period, visceral fat continued to increase. The sleep-deprived group had a 9% increase in total abdominal fat and an 11% increase in abdominal visceral fat compared to the control group.

Scientists note: More research is needed to determine how these results may correlate with outcomes in high-risk individuals. For example, in those who already suffer from obesity.