Mass General Brigham researchers identified seven molecules in the blood linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, including factors related to diet and hormones.
Key takeaways:
- Researchers from Mass General Brigham identified seven blood metabolites linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, highlighting influences from both internal processes (hormones) and external factors (diet).
- Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, found in Mediterranean-like diets, were linked to lower risk of sleepiness, while tyramine (in fermented and overripe foods) was linked to increased sleepiness, particularly in men.
- Findings were replicated across diverse study populations in the US, UK, and Finland, supporting robustness.
Mass General Brigham researchers identified seven molecules in the blood, known as metabolites, linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, including factors related to diet and hormones.
The findings, published in Lancet eBioMedicine, suggest that the risk of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) may be influenced by both internal body processes, such as hormone levels, and external factors, such as diet.
“Our study suggests diet and genetics may play an important role in EDS,” says lead author Tariq Faquih, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in a release. “As we learn what’s happening biologically, we are beginning to understand how and why EDS occurs, the early signs that someone might have it, and what we can do to help patients.”
Collecting Metabolites
Researchers collected data on 877 metabolites, naturally occurring molecules in the body influenced by diet and hormones. Metabolites are produced through biological reactions and the breakdown of external additions like food and pollutants. In this way, metabolomics enables studying how nutrition, lifestyle, environment, and genetics affect biological processes.
The team used blood samples from 6,000 participants in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. The team also used data from the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. The team replicated the findings in The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis study and studies in the United Kingdom and Finland.
Metalobites Linked to EDS
They identified seven metabolites—some endogenously synthesised and some obtained from diet—associated with excessive daytime sleepiness.
They were:
- tetrahydrocortisol glucuronide,
- pregnenediol sulfate,
- tyramine-O-sulphate,
- omega-3 fatty acids,
- omega-6 fatty acids,
- sphingomyelin, and
- glycerophosphocholine (GPC).
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, commonly found in foods that make up Mediterranean-like diets, were associated with a lower risk of excessive daytime sleepiness.
Tyramine, which is found in fermented and overripe foods, was associated with increased daytime sleepiness, particularly in men.
Sex steroid metabolites, such as progesterone, were associated with sleep-related processes such as melatonin production.
Study limitations include difficulty in interpreting exact values of metabolites and using a sleep questionnaire instead of bringing participants into a sleep lab for tests.
Could Dietary Changes Help with EDS?
Because the findings suggest the role of diet-derived metabolites, specifically fatty acids, sphingomyelin, GPC, and tyramine, in sleepiness, the researchers note that the results suggest potential treatment targets for excessive daytime sleepiness and that dietary changes or medications may lead to better treatment.
Future directions could include conducting a clinical trial to see if dietary changes or supplements can help reduce daytime sleepiness. Additionally, the authors identified some unknown metabolites that they plan to explore further.
“Conducting a clinical trial would be a big next step and could help us understand if omega-3s and omega-6s obtained from diet could help lower risk of EDS,” Faquih says.
