Relationship between physical activity related energy expenditure and body composition: a gender difference (original) (raw)

International Journal of Obesity volume 21, pages 184–188 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The doubly labeled water method for the measurement of average daily metabolic rate (ADMR), combined with a measurement of basal metabolic rate (BMR), permits the calculation of energy expenditure for physical activity. Thus, the relation between physical activity and body composition (%body fat) can be determined. METHOD: We analyzed existing data sets with observations on ADMR, BMR, and %body fat including 290 healthy subjects, age 18–49 y, 146 females and 144 males, from 22 different studies. RESULTS: In a regression analysis, age explained 3–7% and 5–20% of the variation in %body fat in females and males, respectively. Adding physical activity to the model raised the explained variation in %body fat in males (partial _r_=−0.35, P<0.01). A higher level of physical activity was related to a lower %body fat. In females, there was no relationship between physical activity and body composition (partial _r_=0.00, n.s.). CONCLUSION: In males, there is a significant inverse cross-sectional relationship between activity energy expenditure and percent body fat, whereas no such relationship was apparent in females.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
    KR Westerterp
  2. Department of Nutrition Sciences, Energy Metabolism Research Unit, University of Albama at Birmingham, USA
    MI Goran

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  1. KR Westerterp
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  2. MI Goran
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Westerterp, K., Goran, M. Relationship between physical activity related energy expenditure and body composition: a gender difference.Int J Obes 21, 184–188 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800385

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