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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #388549
Research Project: Preventing the Development of Childhood Obesity

Location: Children's Nutrition Research Center

Title: Daily energy expenditure through the human life course

Author
item PONTZER, HERMAN - Duke University
item YAMADA, YOSUKE - National Institutes Of Biomedical Innovation
item SAGAYAMA, HIROYUKI - University Of Tsukuba
item AINSLIE, PHILIP - John Moores University
item ANDERSEN, LENE - University Of Oslo
item ANDERSON, LIAM - John Moores University
item ARAB, LENORE - University Of California
item BADDOU, ISSAAD - Universite Ibn Tofail
item BEDU-ADDO, KWEKU - Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology
item BLAAK, ELLEN - Maastricht University
item BLANC, STEPHANE - Université De Strasbourg: Accueil
item BONOMI, ALBERTO - Chevron Phillips Chemical Company Llc
item BOUTEN, CARLIJN - Maastricht University
item BOVET, PASCAL - Lausanne University Hospital
item BUCHOWSKI, MACIEI - Vanderbilt University
item BUTTE, NANCY - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item CAMPS, STEFAN - Maastricht University
item CLOSE, GRAEME - John Moores University
item COOPER, JAMIE - University Of Wisconsin
item COOPER, RICHARD - Loyola University
item DAS, SAI KRUPA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item DUGAS, LARA - Loyola University
item EKELUND, ULF - Norwegian School Of Sport Sciences
item ENTRINGER, SONIA - University Of California
item FORRESTER, TERRENCE - University Of The West Indies
item FUDGE, BARRY - University Of Glasgow
item GORIES, ANNELIES - Maastricht University
item GURVEN, MICHAEL - University Of California
item HAMBLY, CATHERINE - University Of Aberdeen
item EL HAMDOUCHI, ASMAA - Universite Ibn Tofail
item HOOS, MARIJE - Maastricht University
item HU, SUMEI - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item JOONAS, NOORIEHAN - Ministry Of Health And Wellness
item JOOSEN, ANNEMIEK - Maastricht University
item KATZMARZYK, PETER - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item KEMPEN, KITTY - Maastricht University
item KIMURA, MISAKA - Kyoto University
item KRAUS, WILLIAM - Duke University
item KUSHNER, ROBERT - Northwestern University
item LAMBERT, ESTELLE - University Of Cape Town
item LEONARD, WILLIAM - Northwestern University
item LESSAN, NADER - Imperial College
item MARTIN, CORBY - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item MEDIN, ANINE - University Of Agder
item MEIJER, ERWIN - Maastricht University
item MOREHEN, JAMES - The Fa Group
item MORTON, JAMES - John Moores University
item NEUHOUSER, MARIAN - University Of Washington
item NICKLAS, THERESA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item OJIAMBO, ROBERT - Moi University
item PIETILAINEN, KIRSI - Helsinki University
item PITSILADIS, YANNIS - The University Of Brighton
item PLANGE-RHULE, JACOB - Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology
item PLASQUI, GUY - Maastricht University
item PRENTICE, ROSS - University Of Washington
item RABINOVICH, ROBERTO - University Of Edinburgh
item RACETTE, SUSAN - Washington University
item RAICHLEN, DAVID - University Of Southern California
item RAVUSSIN, ERIC - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item REYNOLDS, REBECCA - University Of Edinburgh
item ROBERTS, SUSAN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item SCHUIT, ALBERTINE - University Of Wageningen
item SJODIN, ANDRES - Copenhagen University
item STICE, ERIC - Stanford University
item URLACHER, SAMUEL - Baylor University
item VALENTI, GIULIO - Maastricht University
item VAN ETTEN, LUDO - Maastricht University
item VAN MIL, EDGAR - Maastricht University
item WELLS, JONATHAN - Ucl Great Ormond Street Institute Of Child Health
item WILSON, GEORGE - John Moores University
item WOOD, BRIAN - University Of California (UCLA)
item YANOVSKI, JACK - Max Planck Institute For Evolutionary Biology
item YOSHIDA, TSUKASA - National Institutes Of Biomedical Innovation
item ZHANG, XUEVING - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item MURPHY-ALFORD, ALEXIA - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
item LOECHL, CORNELIA - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
item LUKE, AMY - Loyola University
item ROOD, JENNIFER - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item SCHOELLER, DALE - University Of Wisconsin
item WESTERTERP, KLAAS - Maastricht University
item WONG, WILLIAM - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item SPEAKMAN, JOHN - University Of Aberdeen

Submitted to: Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/21/2021
Publication Date: 8/13/2021
Citation: Pontzer, H., Yamada, Y., Sagayama, H., Ainslie, P.N., Andersen, L.F., Anderson, L.J., Arab, L., Baddou, I., Bedu-Addo, K., Blaak, E.E., Blanc, S., Bonomi, A.G., Bouten, C.V., Bovet, P., Buchowski, M.S., Butte, N.F., Camps, S.G., Close, G.L., Cooper, J.A., Cooper, R., Das, S., Dugas, L.R., Ekelund, U., Entringer, S., Forrester, T., Fudge, B.W., Gories, A.H., Gurven, M., Hambly, C., El Hamdouchi, A., Hoos, M.B., Hu, S., Joonas, N., Joosen, A.M., Katzmarzyk, P., Kempen, K.P., Kimura, M., Kraus, W.E., Kushner, R.E., Lambert, E.V., Leonard, W.R., Lessan, N., Martin, C., Medin, A.C., Meijer, E.P., Morehen, J.C., Morton, J.P., Neuhouser, M.J., Nicklas, T.A., Ojiambo, R.M., Pietilainen, K.H., Pitsiladis, Y.P., Plange-Rhule, J., Plasqui, G., Prentice, R.L., Rabinovich, R.A., Racette, S.B., Raichlen, D.A., Ravussin, E., Reynolds, R.M., Roberts, S., Schuit, A.J., Sjodin, A.M., Stice, E., Urlacher, S.S., Valenti, G., Van Etten, L.M., Van Mil, E.A., Wells, J.C., Wilson, G., Wood, B.M., Yanovski, J., Yoshida, T., Zhang, X., Murphy-Alford, A.J., Loechl, C., Luke, A.H., Rood, J., Schoeller, D.A., Westerterp, K.R., Wong, W.W., Speakman, J.R. 2021. Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science. 373(6556):808-812. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe5017.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe5017

Interpretive Summary: Total daily energy expenditure (total expenditure); reflects daily energy needs and is a critical variable in human health and physiology. To learn more about total expenditure in humans, and how it changes over the life span, we investigated the effects of age, body composition, and sex on total expenditure using a large number of males and females from different countries and whose ages ranged from 8 days to 95 years. Total expenditure increased with fat-free mass, it increased rapidly during the first year of life, declined thereafter staying stable between the ages of 20-60 years even during pregnancy, and then further declined in older adults. Explaining the processes underlying metabolic changes across the life course and variation among individuals may help reveal the roles of metabolic variation in health and disease.

Technical Abstract: Total daily energy expenditure ("total expenditure") reflects daily energy needs and is a critical variable in human health and physiology, but its trajectory over the life course is poorly studied. We analyzed a large, diverse database of total expenditure measured by the doubly labeled water method for males and females aged 8 days to 95 years. Total expenditure increased with fat-free mass in a power-law manner, with four distinct life stages. Fat-free mass-adjusted expenditure accelerates rapidly in neonates to ~50% above adult values at ~1 year; declines slowly to adult levels by ~20 years; remains stable in adulthood (20 to 60 years), even during pregnancy; then declines in older adults. These changes shed light on human development and aging and should help shape nutrition and health strategies across the life span.