Central Nervous Insulin Administration before Nocturnal Sleep Decreases Breakfast Intake in Healthy Young and Elderly Subjects
Open accessAbstract
Peripheral insulin acts on the brain to regulate metabolic functions, in particular decreasing food intake and body weight. This concept has been supported by studies in humans relying on the intranasal route of administration, a method that permits the direct permeation of insulin into the CNS without substantial absorption into the blood stream. We investigated if intranasal insulin administration before nocturnal sleep, a period of reduced metabolic activity and largely absent external stimulation, affects food intake and energy turnover on the subsequent morning. Healthy participants who were either young (16 men and 16 women; mean age ± SEM, 23.68 ± 0.40 years, mean BMI ± SEM, 22.83 ± 0.33 kg/m2) or elderly (10 men, 9 women; 70.79 ± 0.81 years, 25.27 ± 0.60 kg/m2) were intranasally administered intranasal insulin (160 IU) or placebo before a night of regular sleep that was polysomnographically recorded. Blood was repeatedly sampled for the determination of circulating glucose, insulin, leptin and total ghrelin. In the morning, energy expenditure was assessed via indirect calorimetry and subjects were offered a large standardized breakfast buffet from which they could eat ad libitum. Insulin compared to placebo reduced breakfast size by around 110 kcal (1054.43 ± 50.91 vs. 1162.36 ± 64.69 kcal, p = 0.0095), in particular decreasing carbohydrate intake (502.70 ± 25.97 vs. 589.82 ± 35.03 kcal, p = 0.0080). This effect was not dependent on sex or age (all p > 0.11). Sleep architecture, blood glucose and hormonal parameters as well as energy expenditure were not or only marginally affected. Results show that intranasal insulin administered to healthy young and elderly humans before sleep exerts a delayed inhibitory effect on energy intake that is not compensated for by changes in energy expenditure. While the exact underlying mechanisms cannot be derived from our data, findings indicate a long-lasting catabolic effect of central nervous insulin delivery that extends across sleep and might be of particular relevance for potential therapeutic applications.
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In experiments with 160 IU IN insulin before nocturnal sleep, both men and women ate less from a standardised breakfast buffet when they had received IN insulin compared to placebo.
“In experiments investigating the impact of 160 IU of IN insulin administered before nocturnal sleep, both men and women ate less from a standardised breakfast buffet when they had received IN insulin compared to placebo.”
From Intranasal insulin (2021) · cites this paper as [65]
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- Authors
- Santiago, J. C. P., & Hallschmid, M.
- Affiliations
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Hallschmid, Manfred
- ORCID
- Hallschmid, Manfred
- Venue
- Frontiers in Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2017-02-08
- Volume
- 11
- Pages
- 54-54
- ISSN
- 1662-453X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5296307
- OpenAlex
- W2586436597
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 1.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Frontiers in Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Site cant be reached (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 654)
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01GI0925)
- Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (ICEMED)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Keywords
- intranasal insulin, sleep, dietary intake, breakfast consumption, energy expenditure, carbohydrate intake, leptin, ghrelin, blood glucose, aging, young adults, appetite regulation
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