Not getting enough sleep may lead to more severe problems than just a lack of energy and alertness.
It also could lead to an increase in fat accumulating around vital organs, according to a study released today by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
That could result in higher rates of metabolic disease among minorities, including obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, the study found.
Researchers focused the study on 1,107 minority participants -- 775 Hispanics and 332 blacks -- over five years because the races have been underreported regarding the issue. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 81. They were examined through CT scans.
The Wake study focused on the effects on abdominal organs, such as liver and pancreas. Other studies have targeted the heart and other organs.
The connection between getting six or fewer hours of sleep and the amount of visceral fat -- the kind that collects around organs rather than under the skin -- was noticeable particularly among participants under age 40.
People who get more than eight hours of daily sleep also showed signs, though slighter, of the same fat-around-organ buildup.
"We put a lot of stock in diet," said Dr. Kristen Hairston, an assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism and lead author on the study. "But this study brings up some interesting questions about the way we live.
"We may need to start looking at other behaviors -- besides daily food choices -- that could be contributing to the obesity epidemic in younger age groups.
"This information may help a physician put into context other issues going on in the patient's life which may be affecting their overall health," she said.
There have been previous studies regarding sleep and weight gain.
The consensus of those studies is that a person who regularly gets less than six hours of sleep had a larger body-mass index than those who regularly get seven to eight hours. Women who sleep no more than five hours a night tend to weigh more than those who sleep seven hours.
"We know from those studies that a regular lack of sleep can produce a change in hormones regarding a person's desire to eat and how they process nutrients," Hairston said.
In the Wake study, Hispanic men and black women under age 40 were the largest groups to report getting less than five hours a sleep regularly.
Hairston said that researchers' next steps are determining why the fat accumulates around the organs and which organs are more susceptible to the problem.
"There are cultural issues at play here," Hairston said. "When people are up more, there may be a tendency to eat more. If they sleep more, they're likely exercising less."
It's a growing concern in part, Hairston said, because there are more people working more than one job a day to bring extra income into their household.
"It's not really focused on the college student pulling an all-nighter before an exam, but regular sleeping patterns," she said.
Hairston said she would encourage OB/GYN physicians and pediatricians to bring up the subject of lack of sleep and weight gain with parents.
"Especially for those who are having child after child and are struggling to regain normal sleep habits," she said.
The study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, appears in the March issue of Sleep, the journal of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.
rcraver@wsjournal.com
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