S1E142: Boys with nine hours of sleep are less likely to grow fat

About this episode

This episode discusses a study linking nine hours of sleep in boys to a lower risk of obesity and abdominal fat.

Boys who slept nine hours or more every night had a lower obesity risk and less dangerous fat. Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. A recent A*Star study found that boys who slept at least nine hours every night had a 51 per cent lower obesity risk and less abdominal fat.  Abdominal fat, particularly fat around internal organs, is more strongly linked to metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease than overall body weight. Published in the journal Obesity (Oct 2025), the study used MRI imaging to examine how sleep habits relate to fat distribution in 10-year-olds in Singapore.  In this episode, host and ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo finds out more from the study’s authors Dr Cai Shirong and Dr Navin Michael, about the importance of sleep and how sleep deprivation can increase the risk of obesity and overweight in children. Dr Cai And Dr Navin are principal scientists from the A*Star Institute for Human Development and Potential.  Highlights (click/tap above): 4:48 Does catching up on sleep during the weekend reduce the risk of obesity? 7:07…

People in this episode

Host: Joyce Teo

Guests: Dr Cai Shirong, Dr Navin Michael

Topics covered

• sleep
• obesity
• children's health
• fat distribution
• metabolic diseases

Keywords

• sleep
• obesity risk
• children
• fat distribution
• A*Star study

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: A*Star Institute for Human Development and Potential, Obesity

Places: Singapore

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