Obese men with a sleeping disorder that poses a major road-safety risk improved and were even cured when they were given a low-calorie diet, reveals a study.
Research published in the British Medical Journal shows that the effects of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) were improved significantly in 87% of men when they went on a very low-calorie diet.
In five cases (17%), researchers found they had improved so much they were classified as 'cured' of OSA.
The condition can cause sufferers to stop breathing up to 30 times per hour when sleeping and increases sevenfold the chances of fatigue-related driving accidents. Truck driver Colin Wright escaped prosecution in 2008 after his 35-tonne lorry crashed into a queue of stationary traffic, killing one motorist, because he was suffering from the disorder.
Professor Anthony Leeds says: "Within a very short amount of time, less than three months, more than three-quarters of the men using the Cambridge [very low-calorie] plan saw significant improvements, and one in six were actually cured. These are remarkable statistics."