This Nightly Activity Can Have a Profound Influence on How Much You Weight

Posted By Dr. Mercola | May 04 2012

A new study of 1800 pairs of twins found that even if you're genetically predisposed to being overweight, there is one easy thing you can do to put yourself in control of how much weight you gain. According to CNN, researchers found that genes accounted for 70 percent of the differences in body mass index (BMI) in those who slept less than seven hours per night. Environmental factors accounted for just 4 percent of the differences.

But in twins who slept nine or more hours per night, environmental factors shot up to 51 percent, and genetic influences dipped to 32 percent. Previous research had shown that too little sleep could affect BMI. The twin study adds information on genetic influences that also may be related to glucose metabolsm, metabolism in general, or even inflammation.