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Columbia University Study Links 80‑Minute Sleep Loss to Weight Gain
Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center conducted a randomized crossover trial with 95 adults who normally slept 7–8 hours per night and were at elevated risk for cardiometabolic disease. Participants spent six weeks sleeping about 80‑90 minutes less each night and another six weeks sleeping their usual amount. Wrist‑worn monitors tracked sleep, activity, and physiological measures.
After the sleep‑restricted phase, participants weighed on average 0.45 kg (about one pound) more and their waist circumference grew by roughly 0.5 cm. They also spent about 17 minutes more per day in sedentary activities, although moderate and vigorous exercise levels were unchanged. No significant changes in body fat percentage or muscle mass were detected. The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (July 2023) and highlight that modest, chronic sleep loss can contribute to weight gain and increased risk of obesity‑related conditions.
Lead author Marie‑Pierre St‑Onge emphasized that adequate sleep may help mitigate weight gain and associated heart disease and diabetes risk, noting that many adults regularly cut sleep by an hour or more.
Entities
95 adult participants · Annals of Internal Medicine · Columbia University Irving Medical Center · Marie‑Pierre St‑Onge · Somi Javaid · moderate sleep reduction
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 5 SOURCES] Reducing nightly sleep by about 80‑90 minutes for six weeks leads to an average weight gain of approximately 0.45 kg (one pound). zena.aktualne.cz · knowridge.com · nytimespost.com · www.foxnews.com · scitechdaily.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] Lead researcher Marie‑Pierre St‑Onge is a professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University. zena.aktualne.cz · knowridge.com · nytimespost.com · www.foxnews.com · scitechdaily.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] The trial involved 95 adults who usually slept 7–8 hours per night and were at increased risk for cardiometabolic disease. zena.aktualne.cz · knowridge.com · nytimespost.com · www.foxnews.com · scitechdaily.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] Participants' waist circumference increased by about 0.5 cm after six weeks of reduced sleep. zena.aktualne.cz · knowridge.com · nytimespost.com · www.foxnews.com · scitechdaily.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in July 2023. zena.aktualne.cz · nytimespost.com · www.foxnews.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Sedentary time increased by roughly 17 minutes per day during the sleep‑restricted phase. knowridge.com · nytimespost.com · www.foxnews.com · scitechdaily.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] No significant changes in body fat percentage or muscle mass were observed despite weight gain. nytimespost.com · www.foxnews.com