Basal Metabolism in Schizophrenia

Differences in resting energy expenditure and body composition between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls

“…The major finding of this study was the significantly lower REE in the patients with schizophrenia. The findings are consistent with case report studies on patients with dementia praecox/schizophrenia in the beginning of the 20th century (1, 2). The lower energy expenditure points towards a diminution of the oxidative processes in patients with schizophrenia.…”

“…Endocrine disorders, especially thyroid dysfunction, were then suspected to be connected with this finding. Hoskins and Sleeper (2) found that 43 of 80 investigated patients in their study showed recordings of basal metabolic rate (BMR) below 90% of the expected level, a result consistent with other contemporary studies. However, the significance of these early investigations is unclear because they were designed as case reports without any control groups or statistical analysis.…”

“…In the first decades of the 20th century several researchers reported reduced energy metabolism in dementia praecox/schizophrenia (1, 2). Endocrine disorders, especially thyroid dysfunction, were then suspected to be connected with this finding.…”

Beyond the "Hype" on the Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Atypical Antipsychotics

“…Some early 20th-century studies using primitive research methods suggested that patients with schizophrenia had lower energy expenditure when resting. 22 More recently, Nilsson et al 23 confirmed this result. Assuming that this is correct, schizophrenia and its lower metabolic rate should be associated with the opposite effect of more risk for obesity.…”

A Review of the Effect of Stress on the Activity of the Central Nervous-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis in Animals and Man (Part 2 of 2)

“…The first evidence in support of ibis view came from the finding th at the BMR tended to be low in about 50% of schizophrenic patients (Farr, 1924, Bowman and Fry, 1925, Langfeldt, 1926, Hoskins and Sleeper, 1929a, Lingjaerde, 1933. The work of Gjessing on periodic catatonia has stim ulated much interest in this field.…”