Long-term persistence of adaptive thermogenesis in subjects who have maintained a reduced body weight

Abstract

Background: After weight loss, total energy expenditure-in particular, energy expenditure at low levels of physical activity-is lower than predicted by actual changes in body weight and composition. An important clinical issue is whether this reduction, which predisposes to weight regain, persists over time. Objective: We aimed to determine whether this disproportionate reduction in energy expenditure persists in persons who have maintained a body-weight reduction of ͧ10% for 1 y. Design: Seven trios of sex-and weight-matched subjects were studied in an in-patient setting while receiving a weight-maintaining liquid formula diet of identical composition. Each trio consisted of a subject at usual weight (Wt initial ), a subject maintaining a weight reduction of ͧ10% after recent (5-8 wk) completion of weight loss (Wt loss-recent ), and a subject who had maintained a documented reduction in body weight of 10% for 1 y (Wt loss-sustained ). Twentyfour-hour total energy expenditure (TEE) was assessed by precise titration of fed calories of a liquid formula diet necessary to maintain body weight. Resting energy expenditure (REE) and the thermic effect of feeding (TEF) were measured by indirect calorimetry. Nonresting energy expenditure (NREE) was calculated as NREE ҃ TEE -(REE ѿTEF). Results: TEE, NREE, and (to a lesser extent) REE were significantly lower in the Wt loss-sustained and Wt loss-recent groups than in the Wt initial group. Differences from the Wt initial group in energy expenditure were qualitatively and quantitatively similar after recent and sustained weight loss. Conclusion: Declines in energy expenditure favoring the regain of lost weight persist well beyond the period of dynamic weight loss.Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:906 -12.

Baseline characteristics associated with different BMI trajectories in weight loss trials: a case for better targeting of interventions

“…Weight loss is a physiologically and biochemically heterogeneous process, and decreases in energy expenditure with weight loss have been shown to vary from -38% to -6% in a controlled experiment where subjects lost 10% of their weight 24,25 . Strong hormonal influences drive weight regain after weight loss 26 , and the individual variation in this process has yet to be characterised.…”

Control of energy expenditure in humans

“…Energy restriction induces a reduction in REE below predicted values, as based on the new body composition reached after underfeeding-induced weight loss. [16][17][18][19] The REE reduction in obese subjects losing 10-20% of initial weight, adjusted for changes in body composition, ranges between 3 and 6% of the initial TEE value. Van Gemert et al 20 observed in morbid obese subjects losing on average one-third of initial weight, an average reduction of 7% at 1 year after the start of weight loss and of 4% when weight loss was maintained for more than 3 years.…”

“…The adaptive AEE reduction induced by restricting energy intake in overweight and obese subjects is larger, and can be explained by a reduction in body movement and an increase in muscle efficiency. 17,21 However, Camps et al 21 observed an energy restriction-induced adaptive reduction of AEE that is not sustained when energy intake meets again TEE. 21 The energy restriction-induced adaptive reduction of REE persists perhaps indefinitely.…”

“…21 The energy restriction-induced adaptive reduction of REE persists perhaps indefinitely. 17,20 The difference in effect of overfeeding and energy restriction on REE and AEE probably is a consequence of natural selection. Compensatory mechanisms sparing energy to decrease weight loss and increase weight gain had survival value in an environment where food was not always available, as during ancestral life.…”

“People don't care as much about their health as they do about their looks”: Personal trainers as intermediaries between aesthetic and health-based discourses of exercise participation and weight management

“…The simple prescriptions to "eat less and move more" are becoming complicated by research findings that show how a 5 wide range of metabolic processes are affected by weight loss and implicated in the weight regain that often follows (e.g., Rosenbaum, Hirsch, Gallagher, & Leibel, 2008;Sumithran et al, 2011). Despite the increasing sophistication of exercise and nutrition programs designed for weight loss, sustained weight loss remains an elusive goals for many people; although the precise success rate for long term maintenance of weight loss is difficult to determine, a recent review suggests that only around 17% of Americans who have ever been overweight or obese have maintained a loss of at least 10% of their body weight for at least one year (Kraschnewski et al, 2010).…”