Energy expenditure in children of lean and obese parents.
Goran, Michael I, Phd, William H Carpenter Msc, Aileen McGloin, Rachel Johnson
Rd Phd, J Michael Hardin Phd, and Roland L Weinsier Md Drph.
Energy Metabolism Research Unit, Department of Nutrition Sciences, and
Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham,
AL; and Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington,
VT
APStracts 2:0002E, 1995.
We evaluated whether children of obese parents have defects in energy
expenditure in a study of 73 children (5 + 0.9 years) of lean and obese
parents. Total energy expenditure (TEE) was measured over 14 days using
doubly labeled water, and physical activity energy expenditure (AEE) derived
by subtracting resting energy expenditure (REE) under post-prandial
conditions. Fat and fat free mass were measured in children and parents using
bioelectrical resistance. There were no significant correlations between TEE,
REE or AEE in children (after adjusting for FFM), and body fat in children,
nor body fat in mothers or fathers. In 3-way analysis of co-variance (using
FFM as a co-variate), there were no significant effects of gender in
children, obesity in mothers, or obesity in fathers on TEE or AEE in
children. There was a significant effect of gender and a significant
interaction between obesity in mothers and obesity in fathers on REE;
relative to children with 2 non-obese or 2 obese parents, REE was 6% lower
in children when mothers only or fathers only were obese. In conclusion, our
data do not support the hypothesis that children of obese parents have major
defects in energy expenditure.
Received 3 November 1994; accepted in final form 5 January 1995.
APS Manuscript Number E452-4.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Endocrinol. Metab.).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 25 February 1995.