Colorado State UniversityFSHN 492

news and journal analysis REPORT

Devon Connelly

Devon Connelly

Due Date: April 26, 2016

“I have not given, received or used any unauthorized assistance”

X: Devon Carissa ConnellyNews Report:

Date of published news report: April 21, 2016

Type of article: Website newspaper

1. Bakalar N. A High-Fat Diet May Lead to Daytime Sleepiness. Well. April 21, 2016. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/a-high-fat-diet-may-lead-to-daytime-sleepiness/?ref=health. Accessed April 25, 2016.

Key points:

Eating a high-fat diet may cause daytime sleepiness. 1800 subjects, all men, filled out food frequency questioners and then reported how sleepy they

were throughout the day. They were also electronically monitored for sleep apnea. After adjusting for factors that could influence normal sleep, they found that those categorized

in the higher quarter for fat intake were 78% more likely to suffer from daytime sleepiness and almost three times as likely to have sleep apnea.

The connection of fat intake to apnea was apparent most clearly in people with a high body mass index, but the positive association of fat intake with daytime sleepiness persisted strongly in all subjects, regardless of B.M.I.

One possible mechanism could be meal time, but that information is unclear. It is suggested that circadian rhythm, hormones and diet all work together to create these

effects. The main message is that high fat diet is not good for sleep so eating healthy is important.

Critical Appraisal-Strengths and Weaknesses:

This article was very short. I’m sure that more information is available that could help support the authors claim. Due to its short length, I feel the author loses credibility by not convincing his readers about a high fat diet and daytime sleepiness.

The article listed adjusting factors that could influence sleep like smoking, alcohol consumption, waist circumference, physical activity, medication and depression. This is a strength because all of these will affect sleep and tiredness so stating these to the readers is important to recognize that this study included healthy individuals. This leads in more accurate results.

The picture displayed is a sizzling pan of bacon. I think this was a good choice for a visual effect for a couple of reasons. First, this is indeed a high fat food so comparing a picture to article content is a strength. Secondly, bacon has been a big trend in the Western diet for years and many people like bacon. This catches the eye on many readers which may make them more inclined to read the article. Also, the high fat foods the article is mainly focusing on are animal

products so a picture of bacon is more appropriate than a sliced avocado because the fat referenced is different.

The reading level for this article is appropriate. The author breaks down definitions to be understood more clearly. Also, because obesity and overweight have a higher prevalence in lower income individuals, the articulation was suited to a lower reading level.

A weakness is that overall this short article only referenced one study and quoted only one professional that assisted with the study. The article would have been stronger and less bias if more professionals in the field were interviewed.

The study referenced studied only male’s subjects and was the first study be conducted that assesses the association between macronutrient fat and sleep apnea and daily tiredness. The news article does not mention this. I think this is a very valuable piece of information and I believe that the author would have lost readers if he mentioned this point. This is a weakness and really questions the author’s integrity.

Implications:

Nutrition Professionals:o Yingting Cao was the only person referenced. Her title was not included so I had to

research her to figure out who she was. She is a graduate student of Nutrition and Dietetics, and a PhD candidate at the school of medicine at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

o Should this article change practice or policy? Yes, I believe there is unlimited data of the importance for maintaining daily functions and over-all healthy living by having a well-balanced diet low in certain nutrients, such as high fat foods. As for policy, the recommendations for high fat foods is already pretty low, it’s more a matter if people choose to follow the guidelines. I think there should be more guidelines to what products are being sold to the population like fast foods, pre-packaged and ready to eat foods, and what’s being advertised. If the population was exposed to as much nutritional facts, such as what this article is portraying about high fat foods, as they are too fast food advertisements, then over all we would be healthier as a nation.

Consumers:o Many people suffer from sleep apnea and daytime tiredness so I think this topic

reaches out to a lot of the population. But with the lack of content and professional opinion, I don’t think this article is compelling enough to change behavior. One thing the author could have done is listed all the other consequences that high fat diets have on health to make the argument stronger and more convincing to change behavior. I wouldn’t suggest the author take away from the main point that effects sleep apnea and daytime tiredness, but listing other implications in the conclusion would make his argument more convincing.

Research Article:

Date of published report: April 8, 2016

Type of article: Professional Primary Research Article

2. Cao Y, Wittert G, Taylor A, Adams R, Shi Z. Associations between Macronutrient Intake and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea as Well as Self-Reported Sleep Symptoms: Results from a Cohort of Community Dwelling Australian Men. Nutrients. 2016; 8(4):207. doi:10.3390/nu8040207.

URL: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/4/207/htm

Key points:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and daily tiredness was studied in a cross-sectional analysis involving participants in the Men Androgen Inflammation Lifestyle Environment and Stress cohort.

Food Frequency Questionnaires were used to analyze food consumption, and sleep quality and daily tiredness was self-reported.

Overnight in-home polysomnography (PSG) was conducted among participants without previously diagnosed OSA.

After adjusting for demographic, lifestyle factors, and chronic diseases, the highest quartile of fat intake was positively associated with excessive daytime sleepiness and apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI).

Body mass index mediated the association between fat intake and AHI (30%), but not daytime sleepiness. There were no associations between other intake of macronutrient and sleep outcomes.

High fat is associated with daytime sleepiness and AHI. Sleep outcomes are generally not assessed in studies investigating the effects of varying macronutrient diets on weight loss.

Critical Appraisal-Strengths and Weaknesses:

The study mentions that one study in Caucasian and Hispanic adolescents found that total fat intake was negatively associated in girls but positively associated in boys with rapid eye movement sleep. However, there are no similar studies in adults. This particular study has males as subjects. But if there is a difference fat intake in males and females in regards to REM, then why were only males studied? This is weakness because only one gender is studies but the macronutrient fat effects sleep differently in different genders. It is assumed that the results would be different for females.

Dietary intake was measured by the Cancer Council Victoria Diet Questionnaire for Epidemiological Studies. The FFQ has been validated in an Australian population and is widely used in epidemiological studies. This is a strength because this questionnaire is consistent, reliable and available to the reader.

Sleep measurements consisted of subjective (CATI and self-reported questionnaires) and objective (in-home PSG) approaches. A variety of methods strengthens the accuracy, consequently, strengthening the results and study.

After analyzing possible subjects, those who answered “yes” to a history of sleep apnea were eliminated and were not used. This is a strength because the study emphasizes that the subjects

were healthy and having subjects with a history of sleep apnea would have led to skewed results.

The article mentions that fat mass and hormones also play a role in metabolism and sleep. Women generally have high body fat and our hormones are much different than that of men’s. This is a weakness, again, because this study is geared towards males so how can females even relate?

Implications:

Nutritional Professionals:o The study was conducted by PhD candidates for Nutrition and Dietetics from the school

of medicine at the University of Adelaide in Australia. o The study mentioned that (to the best of their knowledge) this was the first study done

to assess the association between macronutrient intake and sleep a large population based cross-sectional study using objectively measured polysomnography. With this being said, no, this study is not persuasive enough to change policy. Perhaps if there were more studies that involved a more vast population, then it could be considered if data was compelling enough.

Consumerso The research done was professional and large population added a strength to the

results. I think the information is valuable but not compelling enough to change behavior. Again, the fact that the subjects were only men, as a female I find that bias and would assume different findings if this was involving all females. A male between the ages of 35-80 who experiences sleep apnea and daily tiredness might find this information compelling enough, but I doubt it would appeal to anybody else.