Less stress, better sleep fight flab, study says

(CBS) Maybe diet and exercise aren't the only big guns in the fight against flab.

In a new study, people looking to lose at least 10 pounds were more likely to hit that target if they kept stress levels low and managed to get the right amount of sleep. That means at least six hours of shut-eye a night - but no more than eight hours.

The implications of the study seem clear enough. "Some people may just need to cut back on their schedules and get to bed earlier,' lead author Dr. Charles Elder, of Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., said in a written statement."Others may find that exercise can reduce stress and help them sleep. For some people, mind/body techniques such as meditation also might be helpful."

The study involved 472 fat people in Oregon and Washington. All attended weekly meetings where they were given familiar weight-loss tips, including cutting their food intake by 500 calories a day, adopting a low-fat, low-sugar diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, and boosting their physical activity. They were also asked to keep track of insomnia, stress, and depression - and to record how much time they spent watching TV or using a computer.

It turned out that depression and "screen time" were not good predictors of whether someone could lose weight. But sleep and stress levels were.

The study was published in the March 29 online edition of the International Journal of Obesity.