Back to the complete issue
Tuesday, 20 September 2022

Get some more shut-eye and better eating habits will probably follow + Video games (just not the GTA-types) can help prevent dementia

Struggling with a junk food addiction? You’re probably sleep-deprived and being driven to consume extra fat and sugar, according to research from the University of Chicago and Columbia University cited by the Washington Post. Researchers have discovered how much poor sleep can influence the amount and type of food we eat and crave, and the body’s ability to gain or lose body fat. A lack of shuteye can trigger changes in our brain activity and hormones, which can drive us to consume more calories, and getting just one more hour of sleep can lead to better eating habits.

Swapping sleep for indulgence: Studies show that sleep-deprived people have stronger activity in the region of the brain involved in pleasure-seeking and reward, creating a more powerful need to indulge in junk food. Sleep loss also causes decreased activity in parts of the brain that regulate food intake, making it harder to exercise self-control.

Undoing the damage: The University of Chicago researchers found that overweight people who extended their sleep by around 1.2 hours a night reduced their daily food intake by 270 calories — without being given any dietary advice. They lost a slight amount of weight over a two week period compared with the control group, and reported feeling better and having more energy.


Can video games help ward off dementia? Researchers are finding new benefits in giving your brain a “workout,” the Wall Street Journal reports, citing researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Iowa. Studies have shown that changing your diet and exercising more may help avoid or put off developing dementia, but researchers are now looking at specially-designed video games as a potential weapon in the fight against dementia. There is a new wave of digital games being marketed as a “brain workout,” with features designed to improve cognitive abilities like speed, attention, and memory.

These are not your typical Minecraft or Grand Theft Auto-style games. Some require the player to recognize and remember specific sounds, patterns, and objects, all while making split-second decisions that get more challenging as the game progresses. These games could help boost memory and daily functioning, but many scientists think it’s too soon to tell if those benefits will last. Some researchers, though, find the concept of brain-training games promising enough to spend mns of USDs on exploring — especially since a 2020 study suggested that as much as 40% of dementia cases could potentially be prevented or delayed with lifestyle modifications such as diet, exercise and managing hypertension.

Want to try exercising your brain? You can explore CogniFit, an app that charges a monthly or annual fee, or Double Decision, whose games are available commercially and have been utilized in studies funded by the US Defense Department.

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.