Study Finds High Triglyceride Levels May Be Linked to Obstructive Sleep Apnea

A new study has discovered a link between triglycerides and obstructive sleep apnea (“OSA”). Triglycerides are a type of lipid in the blood that gives energy to an individual’s body. High triglyceride levels raise an individual’s risk of pancreatitis, strokes and heart attack.

On the other hand, obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes an individual’s airway to close while they sleep, which prevents the lungs from oxygenating the blood sufficiently. This common sleep disorder has many symptoms, which include choking, gasping, loud snoring, drowsiness, morning headaches, poor school and job performance, hyperactivity in young children and waking up repeatedly throughout the night.

The research, which was conducted by researchers at the Freemason’s Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing, was led by Gary Wittert, a professor of medicine at the University of Adelaide.

The study found that participants with decreases in blood oxygen concentrations and severe obstructive sleep apnea had a higher chance of having elevated triglyceride concentrations in their blood. Wittert, who is also the director of the Freemason’s centre, stated that obstructive sleep apnea heightened an individual’s risk of developing depression, cardiovascular conditions, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

For their study, the researchers recruited participants from the Men Androgens Inflammation Lifestyle Environment and Stress Study (MAILES). The study assesses the health of men aged 40 and above in Australia. The researchers found that more than one-half of their recruits had moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, noting that 75% of them had some form of the condition.

Wittert explained that the research’s results were concerning as the most distinct effects of the conditions were observed in individuals who weren’t overweight. He added that while the sleep condition also affected lean individuals and was pretty common, it was rarely recognized until a person’s health was seriously undermined. The professor noted that the main takeaway from this research was that testing for obstructive sleep apnea needed to be considered, particularly in lean men who had high triglyceride concentrations.

The scientists recommend the use of continuous positive airway pressure therapy, which is delivered through a machine overnight, as it may help reduce obstructive sleep apnea symptoms as well as triglyceride concentrations. Wittert does assert that more research is needed to assess the relationship between triglycerides and obstructive sleep apnea in young men and women, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of CPAP treatment for every age group.

With many companies making highly effective treatments for OSA, patients have viable options to keep the condition under control and avoid the complications that result when obstructive sleep apnea isn’t treated.

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