Total energy expenditure is repeatable in adults but not associated with short-term changes in body composition

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

Submitted to: Nature Communications
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/4/2021
Publication Date: 1/10/2022
Citation: Rimbach, R., Yamada, Y., Sagayama, H., Ainslie, P.N., Anderson, 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., Das, S.K., Dugas, L.R., Ekelund, U., Entringer, S., Forrester, T., Fudge, B.W., Goris, A.H., Gurve, 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.F., Lambert, E.V., Leonard, W.R., Lessan, N., Martin, C.K., Medin, A.C., Meijer, E.P., Morehen, J.C., Morton, J.P., Neuhouser, M.L., 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.B., Shuit, 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.U., Luke, A.H., Rood, J., Schoeller, D.A., Westerterp, K.R., Wong, W.W., Speakman, J.R., Pontzer, H, and the IAEA DLW Database Consortium. 2022. Total energy expenditure is repeatable in adults but not associated with short-term changes in body composition. Nature Communications. 13. Article 99. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27246-z.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27246-z

Interpretive Summary: Obesity is a highly prevalent health condition associated with increased morbidity and mortality1. The social and environmental factors behind the global obesity pandemic remain largely unresolved despite decades of research. This study aimed to: 1) Determine whether subject age affected repeatability of total energy expenditure (TEE), and 2) examined if TEE was associated with changes in weight or body composition. Researchers used the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) doubly labeled water (DLW) database. For adults 20–60 years of age, an increase in adjusted TEE was associated with weight gain but not with changes in body composition; results were similar for subjects with intervals >4 weeks. This suggested low TEE was not a risk factor for, and high TEE was not protective against, weight or body fat gain over the time intervals tested.

Technical Abstract: Low total energy expenditure (TEE, MJ/d) has been a hypothesized risk factor for weight gain, but repeatability of TEE, a critical variable in longitudinal studies of energy balance, is understudied. We examined repeated doubly labeled water (DLW) measurements of TEE in 348 adults and 47 children from the IAEA DLW Database (mean + or - SD time interval: 1.9 + or - 2.9 y) to assess repeatability of TEE, and to examine if TEE adjusted for age, sex, fat-free mass, and fat mass is associated with changes in weight or body composition. We report that repeatability of TEE is high for adults, but not children. Bivariate Bayesian mixed models show no among or within-individual correlation between body composition (fat mass or percentage) and unadjusted TEE in adults. For adults aged 20-60 y (N = 267; time interval: 7.4 + or - 12.2 weeks), increases in adjusted TEE are associated with weight gain but not with changes in body composition; results are similar for subjects with intervals >4 weeks (N = 53; 29.1 + or - 12.8 weeks). This suggests low TEE is not a risk factor for, and high TEE is not protective against, weight or body fat gain over the time intervals tested.