Twin Study Shows You Should Sleep More to Stay Slim

If you are genetically predisposed to weight gain, you may be interested in the findings of neurologist Nathaniel Watson.  His research team looked at the habits of 1,088 pairs of twins in the University of Washington Twin Registry and found that those who got less sleep (less than 7 hours per night) were not only heavier, but also had less control over their weight than those who got more than 9 hours of sleep.

Watson’s team found that genes accounted for 70% of the difference in BMI in twins sleeping less than 7 hours but environment accounted for only 4%.  Conversely, for twins getting  more than 9 hours of sleep, genetic influences accounted for 32% of the BMI difference (less than half the effect found in the twins sleeping for less than 7 hours).  for the group that slept more than 9 hours, environmental factors like diet and exercise accounted for 51% of the differences in weight.

The study based on 604 pairs of identical twins and 484 sets of fraternal twins, showed that “The less sleep you get, the more your genes contribute to how much you weigh.  The more sleep you get, the less your genes determine how much you weigh.”

Previous studies have shown that not getting enough sleep is linked to weight gain but involved non-twin participants and as a result haven’t been able to tease out the effect of weight-gaining genes.

The results of the twin study suggest that shorter sleep allows for a more permissive environment for the expression of obesity related genes.  The results add to the evidence that adequate sleep is crucial to maintaining a healthy weight.

This doesn’t mean that you can sleep yourself thin.  But you can sleep yourself to a point were diet and activity are more important in determining your body weight than genetics.

For the Love of Apples: Grow your own organic baby & toddler food.

” If you’ve ever considered planting a food garden, spring is the perfect time to get started. You don’t have to have a green thumb to share nutritious, homegrown foods with your children and family. Whether you are thinking of planting a garden for your babies’ first foods, or want to feed growing children for the toddler years and beyond, everyone in the family can benefit from homegrown fruits and vegetables.Organic food gardening can make a huge impact on your family’s health and the planet with minimal time, space, or money. Growing your own food is easier than you might think. As a busy mom of one year old twins and a newbie gardener living in a house with a small yard in a big city, I am proof that with very little time and space, you can grow food for your multiples. Busy families of multiples may wonder why they should bother with homegrown food when grocery store shelves are lined with commercially-available baby food products. The following are some reasons why:

Affordability. In these economic times, we are all looking for ways to save money and gardening is an easy way to reduce your food budget. On average, a four ounce jar of baby food costs $0.80 to $1.50. For a few dollars, you can purchase a package of organic seeds to grow enough vegetables for an entire season of eating.