OBSTRUCTIVE sleep apnoea risk associated with prolonged sedentary time was significantly attenuated among adults with hypertension who reported higher adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, according to a cross-sectional study of a rural Chinese population.
Researchers analysed data from 797 adults with hypertension aged 45 years and older. Most participants had a normal body mass index, accounting for 62.2% of the study population.
Obstructive sleep apnoea risk was assessed using the STOP-BANG questionnaire and categorised as low, intermediate, or high-risk.
DASH diet adherence was grouped into quartiles, while daily sedentary time was evaluated as a potential contributor to elevated obstructive sleep apnoea risk.
Among participants, 77.8% were classified as low risk for obstructive sleep apnoea, 16.6% as intermediate risk, and 5.6% as high risk. Median sedentary time was 3.5 hours per day.
The analysis identified a significant interaction between DASH diet adherence and sedentary time.
Sedentary time remained independently associated with higher obstructive sleep apnoea risk in adjusted analyses.
However, the association weakened progressively as DASH adherence increased. Compared with the lowest adherence quartile, the interaction term suggested reduced sedentary time related risk in the third quartile and the highest quartile.
The magnitude of the sedentary time effect on high-risk obstructive sleep apnoea also declined substantially across dietary adherence groups.
The researchers concluded that higher DASH diet adherence may represent an actionable lifestyle approach for individuals with hypertension who spend prolonged periods sedentary.
Although DASH adherence alone was not directly associated with obstructive sleep apnoea risk, it appeared to modify the impact of sedentary behaviour.
Additional analyses identified age and waist circumference as threshold specific determinants of obstructive sleep apnoea risk.
Adults aged 60 to 74 years and those aged 75 years or older were more likely to transition from low to higher risk categories. Increased waist circumference was also associated with greater risk at this threshold.
The researchers noted that the cross-sectional design prevents conclusions about causality, but the findings suggest that improving diet quality could help mitigate the adverse association between sedentary behaviour and obstructive sleep apnoea risk in adults with hypertension.
Reference
Lin Y et al. Adherence to the DASH diet moderates the association between sedentary time and the risk of obstructive sleep apnea in a hypertensive rural Chinese population: a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep. 2026;DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-64022-9
Featured image: simona on Adobe Stock
Each article is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License.
