Body fat distribution and energy metabolism in obese men and women.
- 1 December 1994
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Journal of the American College of Nutrition
- Vol. 13 (6), 569-574
- https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.1994.10718449
Abstract
Upper body obesity seems to be associated with a better prognosis for weight loss than does lower body obesity. However, the impact of body fat distribution on energy metabolism is not clear. One hundred fifteen non-diabetic obese Caucasians (64 males and 51 females) and 108 Caucasian lean controls (82 males and 26 females) were studied. Body composition was assessed by hydrodensitometry and body fat distribution was estimated by the waist-to-thigh circumference ratio (W/T). Values of 24-hour energy expenditure (24h-EE), basal metabolic rate (BMR), sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) and respiratory quotient (RQ) were measured in a respiration chamber. BMR, adjusted for differences in fat-free mass, fat mass, age and sex, correlated with W/T in obese males (r = 0.40; p < 0.01), but not in obese females. Obese male subjects with upper body obesity had BMR significantly higher than those with lower body obesity (2189 +/− 268 vs 1974 +/− 141 kcal/day; p < 0.01), independently of differences in fat-free mass, fat mass and age. No correlations were found between W/T and adjusted 24h-EE, SMR or RQ in all examined groups. These findings indicate that in obese males, upper body obesity is associated with increased metabolic rate, possibly related to higher levels of lipid turnover in visceral fat.Keywords
This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- The association of body fat location with haemodynamic and metabolic status in men and women aged 21–60 yearsJournal of Clinical Epidemiology, 1991
- Metabolism of adipose tissue in intraabdominal depots in severely obese men and womenMetabolism, 1990
- Resting energy expenditure in women: Impact of obesity and body-fat distributionMetabolism, 1990
- Biology of regional body fat distribution: Relationship to non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitusDiabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews, 1989
- Interrelationships between Body Weight, Body Fat Distribution and Insulin in Obese Women before and after Hypocaloric Feeding and Weight LossAnnals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 1989
- Impact of obesity on metabolism in men and women. Importance of regional adipose tissue distribution.JCI Insight, 1983
- Relation of Body Fat Distribution to Metabolic Complications of Obesity*Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1982
- Site Differences in the Basal Metabolism of Subcutaneous Fat in Obese Women*Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1981
- Regional differences in the control of lipolysis in human adipose tissueMetabolism, 1979
- Effects of age, sex, and clinical conditions on adipose tissue cellularity in manMetabolism, 1974