Dietary intake, eating behavior and physical activity in individuals with and without obstructive sleep apnea

Weight loss is one of the first line treatments for people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); however, people with OSA may have difficulties losing weight. Few studies have investigated the factors underlying these challenges in people with OSA. The aim of this study was to compare dietary intake, eating behavior and physical activity data in people with OSA and without OSA. Seventy-four patients referred to a sleep disorders clinic for suspected OSA underwent a standard clinical overnight polysomnography and completed questionnaires assessing dietary intake, physical activity and eating behavior prior to treatment. On the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 patients with OSA (n = 49, AHI 19.5 [13.0–55.4] events/h) had higher levels of uncontrolled eating (adjusted means, 19.7 (0.7) vs 16.1 (1.0): F (1, 69) = 7.103, p = 0.010 partial η² = 0.093), than those who did not have OSA (n = 25, AHI 3.3 [0.8–4.4] events/h) after adjusting for age, fat mass % and depression. There were no differences between groups in dietary intake measures or physical activity. These results suggest that people with OSA may need specific attention to eating behavior when undergoing weight loss interventions.