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Infants and preschoolers who don't get enough sleep at night are at increased risk for later childhood obesity, a new study
suggests.
The researchers also found that daytime naps are not an adequate substitute for lost nighttime sleep in terms of preventing
obesity.
The study included 1,930 U.S. children, ages 1 month to 13 years. Data on the children was collected at the start of the study (baseline) in 1997 and again in 2002
(follow-up).
The findings "suggest that there is a critical window prior to age 5 years when nighttime sleep may be important for subsequent obesity status," wrote Janice F. Bell of the University of Washington in Seattle, and Frederick J. Zimmerman of the University of California, Los Angeles.
The study is published in the September issue of the journal Archives of
Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine.
(MDN)
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