Association between the planetary health diet and sleep disorders: results from the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: Building on evidence that diet may ameliorate sleep disorders, and following the introduction of the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet in 2019 to promote human health and environmental sustainability, this study aimed to investigate the potential association between the planetary health diet and the risk of sleep disorders. METHODS: This study utilized data from the UK Biobank and included 165866 participants (mean baseline age 55.8 years; 53.5% female). The planetary health diet index (PHDI) was calculated using a 24-hour dietary recall, with adherence quantified using three scoring methods. Sleep disorders were identified using ICD-10 code G47 from linked health records. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the association between PHDI and sleep disorder risk. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 13.9 years, 3200 participants developed sleep disorders, of whom 1282 (40.1%) were female. At baseline, 78113 (47.1%) participants scored below the Knuppel PHDI mean, 83258 (50.2%) below the Stubbendorff PHDI mean, and 89528 (54.0%) below the Kesse-Guyot PHDI mean. Compared with the lowest adherence group, participants in the highest adherence group for the Knuppel index had a lower risk of sleep disorders (HR = 0.827, 95% CI: 0.733-0.933). Similar associations were observed for Stubbendorff (HR = 0.796, 95% CI: 0.712-0.891) and Kesse-Guyot (HR = 0.838, 95% CI: 0.754-0.931). CONCLUSIONS: Higher adherence to the planetary health diet was associated with a reduced risk of sleep disorders, supporting the potential role of dietary recommendations in sleep health.