A chrononutrition perspective of diet quality and eating behaviors of Brazilian adolescents in associated with sleep duration

ABSTRACT

It is well recognized that sleep and food intake exhibit 24-h patterns and disturbances of these patterns can lead to health problems. Cross-sectional and prospective studies suggest that diet quality and eating behaviors are negatively affected by short sleep duration. Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period for the emergence of inadequate sleep and diet patterns. The aim of the study was to investigate associations, from a chrononutrition perspective, of diet quality, nutrients intake, and eating behaviors (eating frequency, eating period, and time-interval between eating occasions) in relation to sleep duration among a multi-ethnic cohort of Brazilian adolescents. Data were collected by the 2015 ISA-Capital survey, a population-based cross-sectional study comprising 419 adolescents of both sexes (12–19 years old) of São Paulo, Brazil. Demographic, socioeconomic, anthropometric, and lifestyle, including sleep duration, data were obtained from an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Dietary data were obtained by 24-h dietary recall (24-HDR), and diet quality was assessed by the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index – Revised (BHEI-R), validated for the Brazilian population. The independent associations between sleep duration categories (i.e., <8 h as short sleep and 8–10 h as adequate sleep), and dietary variables were assessed after adjustments for covariates. Multiple linear, logistic, and Poison regression models were used, depending on the variable. Diet quality, nutrients intake, and eating behaviors differed according to adolescents’ sleep duration. Approximately 36% of adolescents were sleep deprived. They presented poorer diet quality (53 points, p = .034) and eating behaviors characterized by lower probability of having lunch (88%, p < .001) and dinner (71%, p < .001) and higher probabilities of eating breakfast (87%, p < .001) and morning snack (26%, p = .001). These adolescents compared to those with adequate sleep duration also had, from snacks and in the 24-h cycle, higher contribution of available carbohydrates (8%, p < .001; 50%, p = .024) and total sugar (6%, p < .001; 21%, p < .001) and added sugar (3%, p < .001; 15%, p < .001). The chrononutrition characteristics of sleep-deprived adolescents were marked by longer eating periods (12 h, p < .001) and time-interval between eating occasions (3 h, p < .001) than adolescents with adequate sleep duration. These differences point to the relevance of the interrelation between sleep and diet, i.e., disruption of circadian cycles and consequent metabolic health problems, to inform public health policies and clinical interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Sleep duration
• diet quality
• nutrients intake
• eating behaviors
• chrononutrition
• circadian

Acknowledgements

GMR, de CMA, and RMF conceived and designed the research. GMR and de CMA wrote the manuscript and analyzed the data. RMF, de CMA, CLGC, and MG were responsible for critical analysis and final review. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The 2015 Health Survey of São Paulo (2015 ISA-Capital) was supported by a research grant from the São Paulo Municipal Health Department [grant number # 2013-0.235.936-0], Research Support Foundation of the State of São Paulo [grant numbers # 2012/22113-9 and # 2017/05125-7], National Council for Scientific and Technological Development [grant number # 301597/2017-0], and Improvement Coordination of Higher Level Personnel [grant number # 88882.330836/2019-01]. The funders had no role in the design, analysis, or writing of this article.