The night-time snoring would be due to a too oily tongue! This is what researchers at the Summit Center at the University of Pennsylvania (United States) have just concluded. “The question behind our study was: Can reducing the volume of the tongue improve the symptoms of sleep apnea?” Explains Dr Richard Schwab. “And the answer is yes”.
Obesity, a risk factor for sleep apnea
For this study, the researchers used an MRI to measure the effects of about 10% weight loss in 67 obese patients with sleep apnea. The pictures showed that the weight loss also melted the fat off the tongue, and that this had immediate effects on snoring.
“Now that we know that tongue fat is a risk factor and that sleep apnea improves when tongue fat decreases, we’ve established a unique treatment target that we’ve never had before.” emphasize the researchers. Their study was published in theAmerican journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.
In France, 4% of the adult population suffers from sleep apnea. This health problem is not to be taken lightly because it increases the risk of diabetes, heart failure and cancer.
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