Switching to whole-food, plant-based diet may improve daytime sleepiness in sleep apnea

Written By : Aditi |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-06-11T20:00:51+05:30 | Updated On 12 Jun 2023 11:46 AM IST

The study entitled "Effect of a whole-food plant-based diet on daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea", published in Sleep by Joseph Cheung, has concluded that Significant improvement with daytime sleepiness was reported in patients switching to a whole-food, plant-based or WFPB diet for a period of 21 days. They did not find a significant correlation between improvement in ESS and weight loss.

Consuming a high saturated fat-rich diet causes a higher degree of daytime sleepiness. WFPB dietary pattern, low in saturated fat, is beneficial in weight loss and other health conditions.

Patients with OSA or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) frequently experience excessive daytime sleepiness despite treatment.

In the present study, researchers assessed the Effect of a short-term WFPB diet on daytime sleepiness in OSA patients. They recruited patients from the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville sleep clinic who were diagnosed with OSA and on PAP therapy but had daytime sleepiness with an Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score of 5 or above.

Participants were instructed to follow a strict WFPB diet for 21 days using the Fork Over Knives handbook as a guide.

The key results of the study are:

Ten participants completed the 21-day WFPB diet.
Eight participants reported a reduction in daytime sleepiness.
There was a mean decrease in ESS score of 3.8 in all participants.
Patients had a significant decrease in ESS score of ≥ 7.
All participants completed the study with ≥ 90% adherence to a WFPB diet.
There was a mean weight loss of 4.2 kg in the participants.
Two participants experienced headaches.

Concluding further, they said, We reported Significant improvement with daytime sleepiness in patients switching to a WFPB diet for 21 days. However, we have not recorded any significant correlation between improvement in ESS and weight loss.

BDS, MDS in Periodontics and Implantology

Dr. Aditi Yadav is a BDS, MDS in Periodontics and Implantology. She has a clinical experience of 5 years as a laser dental surgeon. She also has a Diploma in clinical research and pharmacovigilance and is a Certified data scientist. She is currently working as a content developer in e-health services. Dr. Yadav has a keen interest in Medical Journalism and is actively involved in Medical Research writing.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751