A study by Pablo E. Brockmann, MD, PhD, of the department of pediatric cardiology and pulmonology, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago finds that snoring and not sleep duration, may be an independent risk factor for dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome in young adults, according to findings published in the International Journal of Obesity. Pablo and his team analyzed data from 2,147 adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 40 years who completed the 2nd Chilean National Health Survey, a large-scale, population-based study launched in 2009-2010 (42% male; mean age, 28 years; mean BMI, 26.3 kg/m²). Questionnaires included a module dedicated to sleep-related issues. All participants provided a fasting blood sample. Researchers used regression models to evaluate the association between snoring and metabolic syndrome, hypertension and cholesterol.

Within the cohort, snoring was present in 934 (43.5%) participants. Short sleep duration was present in 663 (25%) participants for workdays and 527 (20%) participants for weekdays; 205 (19.5%) participants had metabolic syndrome. Researchers found that the OR for metabolic syndrome among participants who reported snoring was 2.13 vs. non-snorers (95% CI, 1.52-2.99). In addition, snorers had total and LDL cholesterol levels that were on average 7.26 mg/dL and 6.56 mg/dL higher, respectively, after adjustment for age, sex and BMI. The presence of “witnessed apnea or stopped breathing” was associated with a mean 25.07-point increase in triglycerides (95% CI, 0.7-49.44). Odds of hypertension were not increased by snoring after adjustment.

Short sleep was not a modulating cofactor of the association found between snoring, dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome, according to the researchers.

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