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Sleep Apnea Linked to Poor Diet

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If you have a poor diet, your partner may be losing sleep over it.


Published in ERJ Open Research, a new survey found that people who ate unhealthier foods reported snoring more than those who ate more fruit and vegetables.


The researchers also observed sex-based differences in the data; a healthy plant-based diet had a stronger correlation for decreased snoring risk among men and an unhealthy plant-based diet had a larger increased risk for snoring among women.

More snores

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a relatively common condition where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, causing snoring, gasping and choking noises. Without treatment, it can lead to high blood pressure, tiredness and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.


A poor diet is a known risk factor, but much of the pre-existing OSA research, according to the authors of the new paper, has focused on calorie numbers and weight loss, and not the different effects plant-based diets may have.


To carry out such a study, the researchers from Flinders University used data from 14,210 participants of the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. All participants had entered at least one daily diet diary and filled out a standardized snoring survey.


After sifting through the data, the researchers found that people with diets highest in plant-based food were 19% less likely to have OSA, compared with those eating diets lowest in plant-based food. Those eating a largely vegetarian diet were also at a lower risk.


“This research doesn’t tell us how diet changes the risk for OSA, but it could be that a healthy plant-based diet reduces inflammation and obesity. These are key factors in OSA risk,” said Danny Eckert, a professor of sleep health at Flinders University and co-author of the paper.


“Diets rich in anti-inflammatory components and antioxidants, and low in harmful dietary elements, can influence fat mass, inflammation and even muscle tone, all of which are relevant to OSA risk.”


Eckert and his colleagues also observed sex-based differences in the data. Men who ate a largely healthy plant-based diet tended to have an even lower OSA risk than their female counterparts, while women who ate an unhealthy plant-based diet had a larger increased risk for OSA than their male ones.


“Furthermore, the distinct sex-specific patterns observed call for more personalized dietary interventions,” Eckert said.


“Additional research with longitudinal data is crucial to substantiate these new findings, particularly focusing on how plant-based diets affect sleep apnea risk, especially in the context of maintained body weight.”


Eckert and colleagues now plan to investigate the links between eating ultra-processed food and OSA risk in the same group of people. They also say they intend to study the interaction between diet and OSA risk over the longer term.

 


Reference: Melaku YA, Zhao L, Adams R, Eckert DJ. Plant-based and vegetarian diets are associated with reduced obstructive sleep apnoea risk. ERJ Op. Res. 2024. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00739-2023

 

This article is a rework of a press release issued by Flinders University. Material has been edited for length and content.