A Change in Diet May Decrease the Negative Consequences of Chronic Sleep Deprivation

St. Vincent's Medical Center

Status

Completed

Conditions

Sleep Deprivation

Treatments

Drug: Controlled Dietary Intervention

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Industry

Other

Identifiers

NCT00123214

IRB 77-04

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not a low calorie, low glycemic index diet with omega-3 fatty acid supplements can prevent some of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation.

Full description

This pilot study included 18 medical residents at two academic medical centers in New York City. All residents who participated in the study were assigned to work a night shift schedule for two weeks, and began the study on the morning prior to their first evening shift. The study subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Intervention diet -- consisting of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat with 2.4g of long chain fatty acid supplements (n=9) Total calories for males was 1600/day, and 1200/day for females
Control group -- ad lib diet.

Main outcome measures included:

weight
resting metabolic rate
percent body fat
lipid profile
CRP
fasting glucose and insulin levels
urinary neurotransmitter levels
salivary cortisol
six cognitive tests of memory, attention, and executive function.

Subjects were tested on day 1, 7, and 14 of the study.

Sex

All

Ages

25 to 40 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Medical resident in good standing at Cabrini Medical Center or Saint Vincent's Hospital, NY.
Must be scheduled for two consecutive weeks of night shift work.

Exclusion criteria