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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #394291
Research Project: Preventing the Development of Childhood Obesity

Location: Children's Nutrition Research Center

Title: Energy compensation and adiposity in humans

Author
item CAREAU, VINCENT - University Of Ottawa
item HALSEY, LEWIS - University Of Roehampton
item PONTZER, HERMAN - Duke University
item AINSLIE, PHILIP - Liverpool John Moores University
item ANDERSEN, LENE - University Of Oslo
item ANDERSON, LIAM - University Of Oslo
item ARAB, LENORE - University Of California (UCLA)
item BADDOU, ISSAD - Universite Ibn Tofail
item BEDU-ADDO, KWEKU - Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology
item BLAAK, ELLEN - Maastricht University
item BLANC, STEPHANE - University Of Wisconsin
item BONOMI, ALBERTO - Philips Research Eindhoven
item BOUTEN, CARLIJN - Eindhoven University Of Technology
item BUCHOWSKI, MACIEJ - Vanderbilt University
item BUTTE, NANCY - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item CAMPS, STEFAN - Maastricht University
item CLOSE, GRAEME - Liverpool John Moores University
item COOPER, JAMIE - University Of Wisconsin
item DAS, SAI KRUPA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item COOPER, RICHARD - Loyola University - Illinois
item DUGAS, LARA - Loyola University - Illinois
item EATON, SIMON - University College London
item EKELUND, ULF - Norwegian School Of Sport Sciences
item ENTRINGER, SONJA - University Of California Irvine
item FORRESTER, TERRENCE - University Of The West Indies
item FUDGE, BARRY - University Of Glasgow
item GORIS, 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, NOORJEHAN - Mauritius 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 School Of Medicine
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 Oslo
item MEIJER, ERWIN - Maastricht University
item MOREHEN, JAMES - Liverpool John Moores University
item MORTON, JAMES - Liverpool 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 Hospital
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 School Of Medicine
item RAICHLEN, DAVID - University Of Southern California
item RAVUSSIN, ERIC - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item REILLY, JOHN - University Of Strathclyde
item REYNOLDS, REBECCA - University Of Edinburgh
item ROBERTS, SUSAN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item SCHUIT, ALBERTINE - Tilburg University
item SJODIN, ANDERS - Copenhagen University
item STICE, ERIC - Stanford University
item URLACHER, SAMUEL - Baylor University
item VALENTI, GIULIO - Maastricht University
item VAN ETTEN, LIDO - Maastricht University
item VAN MIL, EDGAR - Maastricht University
item WELLS, JONATHAN - Ucl Great Ormond Street Institute Of Child Health
item WILSON, GEORGE - Liverpool John Moores University
item WOOD, BRIAN - University Of California (UCLA)
item YANOVSKI, JACK - National Institutes Of Health (NIH)
item YOSHIDA, TSUKASA - University Of Tsukuba
item ZHANG, XUEYING - University Of Aberdeen
item MURPHY-ALFORD, ALEXIA - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
item LOECHI, CORNELIA - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
item LUKE, AMY - Loyola University School Of Medicine
item ROOD, JENNIFER - Pennington Biomedical Research Center
item SAGAYAMA, HIRO - University Of Tsukuba
item SCHOELLER, DALE - University Of Wisconsin
item WONG, WILLIAM - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item YAMADA, YOSUKE - Kyoto University
item SPEAKMAN, JOHN - University Of Aberdeen

Submitted to: Current Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2021
Publication Date: 10/25/2021
Citation: Careau, V., Halsey, L.G., Pontzer, 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., Buchowski, M.S., Butte, N.F., Camps, S.G., Close, G.L., Cooper, J.A., Das, S., Cooper, R., Dugas, L.R., Eaton, S.D., Ekelund, U., Entringer, S., Forrester, T., Fudge, B.W., Goris, 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.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., Reilly, J.J., Reynolds, R.M., Roberts, S.B., 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., Loechi, C.U., Luke, A.H., Rood, J., Sagayama, H., Schoeller, D.A., Wong, W.W., Yamada, Y., Speakman, J.R. 2021. Energy compensation and adiposity in humans. Current Biology. 31(20):4659-4666.e.2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.016.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.016

Interpretive Summary: The contexts within which energy compensation occur, the extent to which it occurs and the processes involved are far from resolved. Using the largest dataset on human energy expenditure ever assembled researchers tested three energy expenditure models for individuals with unremarkable lifestyles generating natural variation in total energy expenditures over time, and without food restriction. Determining which of these energy expenditure models apply to humans under typical, free-living conditions, and quantifying its effects, will progress our understanding of the evolution and control of metabolism, and may provide key physiological information for management strategies for weight control.

Technical Abstract: Understanding the impacts of activity on energy balance is crucial. Increasing levels of activity may bring diminishing returns in energy expenditure because of compensatory responses in non- nonactivity energy expenditures1. This suggestion has profound implications for both the evolution of metabolism and human health. It implies that a long-term increase in activity does not directly translate into an increase in total energy expenditure (TEE) because other components of TEE may decrease in response–energy compensation. We used the largest dataset compiled on adult TEE and BEE (N = 1,754) of people living normal lives to find that energy compensation by a typical human averages 28% due to reduced BEE; this suggests that only 72% of the extra calories we burn from additional activity translate into extra calories burned that day. Moreover, the degree of energy compensation varied considerably between people of different body composition. This association between compensation and adiposity could be due to among-individual differences in compensation: people who compensate more may be more likely to accumulate body fat. Alternatively, the process might occur within individuals: as we get fatter, our body might compensate more strongly for the calories burned during activity, making losing fat progressively more difficult. Determining the causality of the relationship between energy compensation and adiposity will be key to improving public health strategies regarding obesity.