The interplay between macronutrients and sleep: focus on circadian and homeostatic processes

Elena Gangitano; Matthew Baxter; Maria Voronkov; Andrea Lenzi; Lucio Gnessi; David Ray

doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1166699

The interplay between macronutrients and sleep: focus on circadian and homeostatic processes

Front Nutr. 2023 Aug 23:10:1166699. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1166699. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Elena Gangitano^{1

2}, Matthew Baxter^{1

3}, Maria Voronkov¹, Andrea Lenzi², Lucio Gnessi², David Ray^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
² Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
³ National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Sleep disturbances are an emerging risk factor for metabolic diseases, for which the burden is particularly worrying worldwide. The importance of sleep for metabolic health is being increasingly recognized, and not only the amount of sleep plays an important role, but also its quality. In this review, we studied the evidence in the literature on macronutrients and their influence on sleep, focusing on the mechanisms that may lay behind this interaction. In particular, we focused on the effects of macronutrients on circadian and homeostatic processes of sleep in preclinical models, and reviewed the evidence of clinical studies in humans. Given the importance of sleep for health, and the role of circadian biology in healthy sleep, it is important to understand how macronutrients regulate circadian clocks and sleep homeostasis.

Keywords: circadian process; clock; homeostatic process; macronutrients; process C; process S; protein; sleep.

Publication types

Review