Whole-food plant-based diet reduces daytime sleepiness in patients with OSA

Kripa Patel; Melanie Lawson; Joseph Cheung

doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2023.05.007

Whole-food plant-based diet reduces daytime sleepiness in patients with OSA

Sleep Med. 2023 Jul:107:327-329. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.05.007. Epub 2023 May 12.

Authors

Kripa Patel¹, Melanie Lawson¹, Joseph Cheung²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
² Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA. Electronic address: Cheung.joseph@mayo.edu.

PMID: 37285791
DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.05.007

Abstract

Consumption of a diet high in saturated fat has been associated with daytime sleepiness. A whole-food plant-based (WFPB) dietary pattern, which is low in saturated fat, has been shown to be beneficial in a variety of health conditions. We assessed the effect of a short-term (21 days) WFPB diet intervention on daytime sleepiness in 14 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We found a mean decrease of 3.8 points (SD = 3.3, p = 0.003) on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) after switching from a standard Western diet to a WFPB diet. Our results suggest that a WFPB diet could be a viable dietary intervention to reduce symptom of daytime sleepiness.

Keywords: Daytime sleepiness; Obstructive sleep apnea; Whole food plant based diet.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Diet, Vegetarian
Disorders of Excessive Somnolence* / diagnosis
Humans
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* / complications
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* / diagnosis
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* / therapy