Does mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea affect diabetes risk?
Researchers from the Sleep Research & Treatment Center at Penn State University sought to answer this question by following 1741 adults over 10 years. At the end of the 10 year period, individuals with moderate sleep apnea had an almost 3x higher risk of developing diabetes compared to people without sleep apnea.

What is the take home message?
If you have obstructive sleep apnea, talk to your health care professional about being screened for diabetes. In addition, take proactive steps to reduce your risk of developing diabetes by maintaining a healthy weight, by being physically active and by eating a healthy diet.

The above research was presented at the 2017 Sleep conference in Boston (poster number 0424).

Graham Beaton is a Naturopathic Doctor practicing at Ottawa Collaborative Care in Ottawa.