Overview

• Researchers from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess identified seven blood metabolites associated with excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Untargeted metabolomics of about 6,000 HCHS/SOL participants (877 metabolites measured) produced the signals that were then replicated in UK, Finnish and MESA datasets.
• Lipid classes including linoleic acid and sphingomyelins, as well as omega-3 and omega-6–related molecules, were tied to lower reported sleepiness.
• Tyramine, a metabolite found in fermented or overripe foods, correlated with higher daytime sleepiness, particularly in men, and three additional metabolites differed by sex.
• Authors caution the evidence is observational and questionnaire-based, and they call for randomized trials to test whether dietary changes or targeted therapies can reduce symptoms.