The Zzz Plan - Beat Obesity By Sleeping

Nov 06, 03:00 PM

Current Headlines: By LING, Jenny

PARENTS have another reason for sending kids to bed early after research found getting more sleep can fight childhood obesity.

A study by an American university using 785 children from 10 cities found sleep deprivation caused hunger -- and those who got more shut-eye were less likely to become obese.

But it is not the first time the research has been recorded, said Robyn Toomath, co-founder of New Zealand's Fight the Obesity Epidemic campaign.

Dr Toomath, a Wellington Hospital endocrinologist, said there was already data on the relationship between obesity and hours of sleep.

Though the cause of the link had not been proved, there were factors that could explain it, she said.

If the child is eating high-fat or sugary junk food and watching television with that extra time awake they will be more at risk of becoming obese.

There are also hormonal causes. Dr Toomath said the sleep- deprived produced more ghrelin, a hormone promoting hunger. Other endocrinologists say lack of sleep produces less leptin, a hormone creating a feeling of being full.

The new study, led by Julie Lumeng of the University of Michigan and published in the journal Paediatrics, found each extra hour a third- grader spent sleeping a night reduced the chances of being obese in the sixth grade by 40 per cent.

Dr Toomath recommends eight hours sleep a night for youngsters -- or more if they are physically active.

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