Association between Free Sugars Intake and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness among Chinese Adolescents

The relationship between adolescent sleep duration and exposure to school bullying: the masking effect of depressive symptoms

Background

Adolescents who suffer from school bullying are often accompanied by problems such as sleep disorders and depression. However, it remains unclear how depressive symptoms and sleep assessments such as sleep duration interact in the specific mechanisms of exposure to school bullying.

Objective

To understand the role of sleep duration, depressive symptoms on school bullying in adolescents and the mediating role of sleep duration in this context.

Methods

A total of 1730 adolescents were selected from Xinjiang province, China by stratified cluster random sampling in 2020, and their demographic characteristics, exposure to school bullying, depressive symptoms, and sleep duration were investigated by questionnaire. Multifactorial logistics regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of sleep duration and depressive symptoms on school bullying. Furthermore, the bootstrap method was used to explore the mediating effect and masking effect of depressive symptoms between sleep duration and school bullying by PROCESS macro in SPSS 26.0.

Results

A total of 16.42% of adolescents suffered from school bullying and 12.25% showed depressive symptoms. Multifactorial logistics regression analyses revealed that possible depression and depression increase the risk of exposure to school bullying compared to normal group. Sleep duration less than 8 h and between 8 and 10 h are protective factors for exposure to three types of school bullying relative to those who sleep more than 10 h. Additionally, sleep duration affected exposure to school bullying through depressive symptoms (β = 0.011) and depressive symptoms masked the effect between sleep duration and exposure to school bullying with an effect of 60.17%. The masking effect remained stable after adjusting for gender, age, ethnicity, body mass index, and exercise intensity (indirect effect = -0.017, 95%CI: -0.026 to -0.009).

Conclusion

Depressive symptoms may be a risk factor for exposure to school bullying, while moderate and inadequate sleep duration may be protective factors for exposure to all three types of school bullying simultaneously. The effect of sleep duration on adolescents' exposure to school bullying was affected by the masking effect of depressive symptoms, and appropriate sleep duration and a positive and healthy mindset were beneficial in reducing the occurrence of school bullying.

Excessive Postprandial Sleepiness in Two Young Adults Effectively Treated with Antidiabetic Medications

We herein describe the cases of two young Japanese adults who presented with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Based on their history, the postprandial nature of the sleepiness was suspected, although the patients themselves were not aware of the association. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) reproduced the sleepiness and showed the patterns of insulin resistance (IR) compatible with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in one patient and glucose intolerance in the other. There was no evidence of chronic hyperglycemia in either patient. Antidiabetic medications resulted in the disappearance of EDS in both patients; in one, a repeat OGTT revealed improved IR. We suggest that postprandial somnolence can present with EDS, and it can be effectively treated with antidiabetic medications, and that the OGTT can be useful in identifying IR, which may be the underliyng cause of the excessive postprandial somnolence.

[Relationship between diet, nutritional aspects and sleep quality in a pediatric population]

Introduction

The relationship between diet and sleep has been studied in adults. However, there is little evidence in the pediatric population. The objective of this review was to analyze in a narrative way the relationship between diet, some nutritional aspects and sleep quality in population under 14 years. A quick review was performed in MEDLINE (PubMed) and Cochrane with a search strategy combining MeSH terms and keywords. Studies were selected to estimate diet and evaluate nutritional status and sleep in children using different tools. The risk of bias from the 14 selected studies was determined with validated tools (AMSTAR 2, Newcastle Ottawa scale [NOS] and Risk of Bias [Rob2]). Adherence to some dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean, high consumption of fruits and vegetables, tryptophan intake or substitution of saturated fatty acids by unsaturated fats were associated with better sleep quality. The consumption of ultra-processed products, the "unhealthy fast food" or the high intake of simple sugars hinder an adequate rest. On the other hand, an association between a high body mass index and lack of sleep was observed in young people under 14. In conclusion, the collected studies showed a significant association between some dietary patterns, food groups and nutrients with sleep quality. "Unhealthy" dietary factors were associated with poorer sleep quality. However, healthier and recommended habits and diets were associated with improved sleep hygiene. On the other hand, the lack of hours of rest in the youth population increases height, weight and BMI. Further research is needed in this direction.

A PRECEDE-PROCEED model-based educational intervention to promote healthy eating habits in middle school girls

The present study was designed to develop Nutrition Education Program (NEP) based on PRECEDE-PROCEED model (PPM) to address healthy eating behavior among middle school girls aged between 4 and 12 years. For this, middle school girls from grade 1 to 8 (n = 900) were consulted for their eating behaviors, followed by the analysis of their health problems. From 15 different schools of three large cities (Faisalabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi) of Pakistan, students were divided into two groups: control group (n = 30) and intervention group (n = 30) from each school. The data were collected through interview-based questionnaires according to the phases of PRECEDE Model and evaluated based on PROCEED model. Implementation of NEP was carried out through lectures. Lessons were prepared to enhance student's awareness about nutritious food and healthy lifestyle through educational pamphlets and influenced their attitude towards selection of food choices from My-Plate. Results showed that NEP was quite successful for long-term results. A significant increase in total caloric intake was observed after 8 weeks of NEP intervention (1694 ± 217 Kcal) as compared to before intervention (1329 ± 318 Kcal). Similarly, carbohydrate, protein, and fat content was also increased in daily diet. Conclusively, NEP based on PPM has great impact on healthy lifestyle of middle school girls. Significant difference was observed in score of health variables before and after NEP intervention.

Determinants of Daytime Sleepiness Among Middle-Aged Adults

Daytime sleepiness is highly prevalent in middle-aged adults and has a detrimental impact on their quality of life. Our study examined the psychological and behavioral determinants of daytime sleepiness among adults aged 35 to 64 years. The main variables of interest were psychological factors (perceived stress and anxiety), physical activity factors (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviors), and dietary factors (fat, sugar, fruit, and vegetable intake). Partial correlation and multiple linear regression were conducted to determine their associations with daytime sleepiness, with adjustment for covariates. Our sample included 87 adults with a mean age of 47 ± 9 years. About 21% met the criterion for excessive daytime sleepiness. Greater anxiety, longer time spent in sedentary behaviors, and higher consumption of foods rich in trans fat, sugar, and calories were independently associated with higher daytime sleepiness levels. Targeted interventions or treatments are warranted to address the identified risk factors for middle-aged adults.

Is Adolescents' Free Sugar Intake Associated with the Free Sugar Intake of Their Parents?

High free sugar intake can lead to increased dental caries, obesity, and other health risks among adolescents. Studies have shown that family factors, especially parents, are one of the primary factors influencing adolescents' sugar intake. This study aims to investigate the influence of adolescent parents' free sugar intake, knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on adolescents' free sugar intake. A total of 1090 pairs of adolescents and their parents from 10 secondary schools in Changsha were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Free sugar intakes of parents and adolescents were measured using the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The current status of parents' knowledge, attitude, and practice in consuming free sugar was investigated using online and offline questionnaires. Parental free sugar intake was 11.55 (5.08, 21.95) g/d, and that of adolescents was 41.13 (19.06, 80.58) g/d. Parental free sugar intake, free sugar knowledge level, intake behavior, and guidance behavior were associated with adolescent free sugar intake. A superior level of parental free sugar knowledge (adjusted OR = 0.726, 95% CI: 0.557~0.946) was a protective factor for adolescent free sugar intake. Moderate and high levels of parental free sugar intake (adjusted OR = 1.706, 95% CI: 1.212~2.401; adjusted OR = 2.372, 95% CI: 1.492~3.773, respectively) were risk factors for free sugar intake in adolescents. Given the importance of parental influence on the adolescent free sugar intake, further limiting parental intake and increasing awareness of free sugars could play an active role in future interventions for adolescents' free sugar intake.

Habitual Total Drinking Fluid Intake Did Not Affect Plasma Hydration Biomarkers among Young Male Athletes in Beijing, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

The purposes of this study were to explore the drinking patterns, and urinary and plasma hydration biomarkers of young adults with different levels of habitual total drinking fluid intake. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 111 young male athletes in Beijing, China. Total drinking fluids and water from food were assessed by a 7-day, 24-h fluid intake questionnaire and the duplicate portion method, respectively. The osmolality and electrolyte concentrations of the 24-h urine and fasting blood samples were tested. Differences in groups LD1 (low drinker), LD2, HD1, and HD2 (high drinker), divided according to the quartiles of total drinking fluids, were compared using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal−Wallis H-tests, and chi-squared tests. A total of 109 subjects completed the study. The HD2 group had greater amounts of TWI (total water intake) and higher and lower contributions of total drinking fluids and water from food to TWI, respectively, than the LD1, LD2, and HD1 groups (p < 0.05), but the amounts of water from food did not differ significantly among the four groups (all p > 0.05). Participants in the HD2 group had higher amounts of water than participants in the LD1, LD2, and HD1 groups (p < 0.05); SSBs were the second top contributor of total drinking fluids, ranging from 24.0% to 31.8%. The percentage of subjects in optimal hydration status increased from 11.8% in the LD1 group to 58.8% in the HD2 group (p < 0.05). The HD2 and HD1 groups had 212−227 higher volumes of urine than the LD1 and LD2 groups (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the plasma biomarkers (p > 0.05), with the exception of higher concentrations of K in the HD1 group than in the LD1 group (p < 0.05). Subjects with higher amounts of total drinking fluids had better hydration status than those with lower total drinking fluids, but not better drinking patterns. Habitual total drinking fluids did not affect the plasma biomarkers.