Study Finds Deep Ties Between Sleep and Weight Loss
A good night’s sleep might be a key to losing weight. In a crossover study among 10 overweight people, Arlet Nedeltcheva and colleagues compared the effects of 2 weeks of dieting with 8.5 or 5.5 hours of sleep each night. They found that during the sleep curtailment period, weight loss came more from lean body mass, fat oxidation was reduced, and hunger levels and circulating gherlin levels were higher.
In an accompanying editorial in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Shahrad Taheri and Emmanuel Mignot write that the study provides “insight on why sleep deprivation interferes with the achievement and maintenance of healthy weight” and agree with the authors that “adequate sleep might be an important factor in successful weight loss, and perhaps sleep should be included as part of the lifestyle package that traditionally has focused on diet and exercise.”
Widespread Routine Use of Closure Devices Not Recommended
Arterial closure devices (ACDs) “have the potential to improve patient comfort,” but the current evidence isn’t sufficient to support routine use after cardiac catheterization, according to a scientific statement from the AHA published in Circulation. Led by Manesh Patel, the committee analyzed the data and concluded that although it is “reasonable” to consider using an ACD after catheterization, “the available evidence is limited to specific patient populations, often studied in nonrandomized fashion, without methodological follow-up and standardized clinical outcomes. This limits the widespread routine use of these devices in clinical practice.”
Consensus Statement Highlights Urgency of Treating Hypertension in Blacks
Hypertension in blacks should be treated earlier and more aggressively, according to an update of the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHB) consensus statement published in Hypertension. The update lowers the threshold for treatment and recommends that:
- Lifestyle changes be initiated in African-Americans when blood pressure is at or above 115/75 mm Hg.
- Drug therapy be initiated when blood pressure is at or above 135/85 mm Hg for primary prevention and 130/80 mm Hg for secondary prevention.
- Physicians employ combination drug therapy earlier than previously (the update makes specific recommendations for choosing drugs with numerous options for individualizing therapy).
“Evidence from several recently completed studies converged to convince our committee that we were waiting a little bit too long to start treating hypertension in African-Americans,” said the lead author of the statement, John Flack, in a press release from the AHA. “The majority of patients of any race, and certainly African-Americans, are going to need more than one drug to be consistently controlled below their goal. The debate in the medical community over which single drug is best overwhelms the most pressing question: Which drugs work best together?”
These briefs are republished with permission from CardioExchange, a new website for cardiovascular healthcare professionals from the New England Journal of Medicine. CardioBrief readers who are healthcare professionals are invited to join the site.
Speak Your Mind