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Sleep, ghrelin, leptin and changes in body weight during a 1-year moderate-intensity physical activity intervention

International Journal of Obesity volume 31, pages 466–475 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships among exercise, sleep, ghrelin and leptin.

Methods:

We randomly assigned 173 post-menopausal sedentary overweight (body mass index ⩾24.0 kg/m2 and >33% body fat) women aged 50–75 years living in western Washington State to either a facility- and home-based moderate-intensity physical activity intervention or a stretching control group. Fasting plasma ghrelin, leptin, measured height, weight and self-reported sleep were assessed at baseline and 12 months.

Results:

There were no consistent cross-sectional patterns between self-reported sleep measures and ghrelin or leptin at baseline. The weight loss differences between exercisers and stretchers were greater for those who slept less at follow-up than at baseline compared to those whose sleep duration did not change (−3.2 kg, 95% confidence interval (CI) −5.8, −0.5). Improvements in sleep quality were associated with significantly greater differences between exercisers and stretchers for ghrelin increases (improved vs same sleep quality: +115 pg/ml, 95% CI +25, +206) and leptin decreases (improved vs worsened sleep quality: −5.7 ng/ml, 95% CI −9.5, −1.5).

Conclusion:

There was only limited evidence that changes in sleep duration or quality modified exercise-induced changes in weight, ghrelin or leptin. Moreover, the observed differences were not in the directions hypothesized. Future longitudinal studies including population-based samples using objective measures of sleep and long follow-up may help to clarify these relationships.

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Acknowledgements

Dr Littman was partially funded by a training grant in cancer epidemiology R25 CA94880 through the National Cancer Institute. Dr Tworoger was partially supported by a training grant in cancer epidemiology T32 CA090001 from the National Cancer Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    A J Littman, C M Ulrich, J D Potter & A McTiernan

  2. Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    A J Littman, C M Ulrich, J D Potter & A McTiernan

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    M V Vitiello

  4. Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    K Foster-Schubert & D S Weigle

  5. Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA

    K Foster-Schubert

  6. Department of Medicine, Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    S S Tworoger

  7. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    S S Tworoger

  8. Division of Endocrinology, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    D S Weigle

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  1. A J Littman
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  2. M V Vitiello
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Correspondence to A J Littman.

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Littman, A., Vitiello, M., Foster-Schubert, K. et al. Sleep, ghrelin, leptin and changes in body weight during a 1-year moderate-intensity physical activity intervention. Int J Obes 31, 466–475 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803438

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803438

Keywords

  • physical activity
  • randomized trial
  • ghrelin
  • leptin
  • sleep
  • weight change

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