Habitual short and long sleep durations demonstrated a U-shaped association with the probability of Metabolic Syndrome in fully adjusted models (p=0.0245) among adults free of cardiovascular disease.
Cohort (n=2,443)
Does habitual sleep duration affect metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers and the risk of metabolic syndrome in adults free of cardiovascular disease?
Both short and long sleep durations are associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and adverse inflammatory profiles in healthy adults, highlighting sleep as a modifiable indicator of cardiometabolic vulnerability.
p-value: p=0.0245
Abstract Introduction Short and long sleep duration are associated with adverse metabolic and inflammatory profiles, yet their multidimensional health correlates remain poorly defined in adults free of cardiovascular disease. We leveraged a population-based cohort of healthy individuals to examine the relationship between habitual sleep duration and metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers. Methods Participants from the Miami Heart Study (N = 2, 443), all free of cardiovascular disease at baseline, completed fasting metabolic and inflammatory markers (including interleukin-6). Sleep duration was self-reported and categorized as short (7 hours), recommended (7–9 hours), or long (9 hours). Relationships between sleep duration and participant characteristics were examined using permutational multivariate analysis of variance based on Gower distances. Spearman correlation was used for continuous biomarkers and multinomial logistic regression for categorical predictors, with false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Results Hispanic ethnicity (OR = 0. 86, p 0. 001), individuals with annual income 25k–50k (OR = 0. 60, p = 0. 012) and 50k–75k (OR = 0. 56, p = 0. 004) and type 2 diabetes (OR = 0. 87, p = 0. 013) reported short sleep duration. Participants with high blood pressure were more likely to fall into the short or long sleep categories (OR = 0. 94, p = 0. 021). Shorter sleep duration demonstrated adverse metabolic and inflammatory correlates, including higher BMI (ρ = −0. 132, p 0. 001), larger abdominal circumference (ρ = −0. 090, p 0. 001), elevated IL-6 (ρ = −0. 059, p = 0. 015), higher HbA1c (ρ = −0. 051, p = 0. 038), greater body fat percentage (ρ = −0. 050, p = 0. 040), and lower HDL cholesterol (ρ = 0. 041, p = 0. 035). Triglycerides varied across sleep groups but lost significance after FDR correction. A U-shaped association was observed between sleep duration and the probability of Metabolic Syndrome, with significant nonlinear terms in minimally adjusted (p = 0. 0137) and fully adjusted models (p = 0. 0245). Conclusion In this cardiovascular disease–free cohort, sleep duration showed strong sociodemographic, metabolic, and inflammatory correlates. Both short and long sleep were associated with increased metabolic syndrome risk, underscoring sleep duration as a modifiable early indicator of cardiometabolic vulnerability in healthy adults. Support (if any)
Fitz et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Healthy individuals free of cardiovascular disease (n=2,443). Habitual sleep duration vs. Recommended sleep duration (7-9 hours) was evaluated on Probability of Metabolic Syndrome (p=0.0245). Habitual short and long sleep durations demonstrated a U-shaped association with the probability of Metabolic Syndrome in fully adjusted models (p=0.0245) among adults free of cardiovascular disease.