One century ago Harris and Benedict published a short report critically examining the relations between body size, body shape, age, and basal metabolic rate. At the time, basal metabolic rate was a vital measurement in diagnosing diseases such as hypothyroidism. Their conclusions and basal metabolic rate prediction formulas still resonate today. Using the Harris-Benedict approach as a template, we systematically examined the relations between body size, body shape, age, and skeletal muscle mass (SM), the main anatomic feature of sarcopenia. The sample consisted of 12,330 non-Hispanic (NH) white and NH black participants in the US National Health and Nutrition Survey who had complete weight, height, waist circumference, age, and dual-energy X-ray (DXA) absorptiometry data. A conversion formula was used to derive SM from DXA-measured appendicular lean soft tissue mass. Weight, height, waist circumference, and age alone and in combination were significantly correlated with SM (all, p < 0.001). Advancing analyses through the aforementioned sequence of predictor variables allowed us to establish how at the anatomic level these body size, body shape, and age measures relate to SM much in the same way the Harris-Benedict equations provide insights into the structural origins of basal heat production. Our composite series of SM prediction equations should prove useful in modeling efforts and in generating hypotheses aimed at understanding how SM relates to body size and shape across the adult lifespan.
ObjectiveDietary supplements and alternative therapies are commercialized as a panacea for obesity/weight gain as a result of the minimal regulatory requirements in demonstrating efficacy. These products may indirectly undermine the value of guideline‐driven obesity treatments. Included in this study is a systematic review of the literature of purported dietary supplements and alternative therapies for weight loss.MethodsA systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplements and alternative therapies for weight loss in participants aged ≥18 years. Searches of Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Embase (Ovid) were conducted. Risk of bias and results were summarized qualitatively.ResultsOf the 20,504 citations retrieved in the database search, 1,743 full‐text articles were reviewed, 315 of which were randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of 14 purported dietary supplements, therapies, or a combination thereof. Risk of bias and sufficiency of data varied widely. Few studies (n = 52 [16.5%]) were classified as low risk and sufficient to support efficacy. Of these, only 16 (31%) noted significant pre/post intergroup differences in weight (range: 0.3‐4.93 kg).ConclusionsDietary supplements and alternative therapies for weight loss have a limited high‐quality evidence base of efficacy. Practitioners and patients should be aware of the scientific evidence of claims before recommending use.
Morphometric measurements and otoliths (sagittae) were collected from black drums Pogonias cromis caught in estuarine and coastal waters off Louisiana. Transverse sections of otoliths had distinct opaque zones that were validated as annual for age determination. One annulus was formed per year during winter and early spring months in all age‐classes during each of four years of sampling. There was low variability in age estimates made independently by three readers. Maximum age observed was 43 years. Von Bertalanffy growth models did not describe growth well for all age‐classes, perhaps due to an extreme decrease in growth rate at about 4 years of age and continuous, nonasymptotic growth thereafter.
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