Energy metabolism in relation to physical activity in growing pigs as affected by type of dietary carbohydrate.

Obesity is a major health problem in the developed and developing world. Many “functional” foods and ingredients are advocated for their effects on body composition but few have consistent scientific support for their efficacy. However, an increasing amount of mechanistic and clinical evidence is building for green tea. The tea plant is naturally rich in a group of antioxidants known as catechins. Unlike black tea, green tea production involves little processing and fermentation and therefore, green tea brews are rich in catechins. Green tea has been suggested to have a number of potential health benefits in areas such as cardiovascular disease, cancer prevention, glucose homeostasis and dental health. Although there is some promising evidence in all of these areas, more data from human intervention trials are needed. A lot of attention has lately been focused on the beneficial effects of green tea on body composition and particularly visceral fat, which has been shown to have a strong link with different components of the metabolic syndrome such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Most, but not all, of the positive results come from a number Asian studies, in which overweight subjects (men and women) consumed green tea for approximately 12 weeks. Finally, green tea may also have measurable acute effects on energy metabolism and fat oxidation and in particular during physical activity, as evidenced by other studies specifically looking at these endpoints. Small cumulative effects on energy metabolism could also be responsible for the longer-tem effects of green tea on body composition, and these long-term effects may also be most apparent in the context of moderate physical activity. However, more research is needed to further clarify the exact mechanisms of action and to extrapolate these findings to non-Asian populations.

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Analysis of Activity-Dependent Energy Metabolism in Mice Reveals Regulation of Mitochondrial Fission and Fusion mRNA by Voluntary Physical Exercise in Subcutaneous Fat from Male Marathon Mice (DUhTP)

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells9122697 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 2697

Author(s):

Julia Brenmoehl ◽

Daniela Ohde ◽

Christina Walz ◽

Martina Langhammer ◽

Julia Schultz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Energy Metabolism ◽

Fat Mass ◽

Mitochondrial Fission ◽

Subcutaneous Fat ◽

Voluntary Exercise ◽

Heart Weight ◽

Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism ◽

Voluntary Physical Activity

Physical inactivity is considered as one of the main causes of obesity in modern civilizations, and it has been demonstrated that resistance training programs can be used to reduce fat mass. The effects of voluntary exercise on energy metabolism are less clear in adipose tissue. Therefore, the effects of three different voluntary exercise programs on the control of energy metabolism in subcutaneous fat were tested in two different mouse lines. In a cross-over study design, male mice were kept for three or six weeks in the presence or absence of running wheels. For the experiment, mice with increased running capacity (DUhTP) were used and compared to controls (DUC). Body and organ weight, feed intake, and voluntary running wheel activity were recorded. In subcutaneous fat, gene expression of browning markers and mitochondrial energy metabolism were analyzed. Exercise increased heart weight in control mice (p < 0.05) but significantly decreased subcutaneous, epididymal, perinephric, and brown fat mass in both genetic groups (p < 0.05). Gene expression analysis revealed higher expression of browning markers and individual complex subunits present in the electron transport chain in subcutaneous fat of DUhTP mice compared to controls (DUC; p < 0.01), independent of physical activity. While in control mice, voluntary exercise had no effect on markers of mitochondrial fission or fusion, in DUhTP mice, reduced mitochondrial DNA, transcription factor Nrf1, fission- (Dnm1), and fusion-relevant transcripts (Mfn1 and 2) were observed in response to voluntary physical activity (p < 0.05). Our findings indicate that the superior running abilities in DUhTP mice, on one hand, are connected to elevated expression of genetic markers for browning and oxidative phosphorylation in subcutaneous fat. In subcutaneous fat from DUhTP but not in unselected control mice, we further demonstrate reduced expression of genes for mitochondrial fission and fusion in response to voluntary physical activity.

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Energy Expenditure and Physical Activity in Recovering Malnourished Infants

Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1155/2010/171490 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2010 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Russell Rising ◽

Gul Tiryaki Sonmez

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Weight ◽

Energy Metabolism ◽

Energy Expenditure ◽

Energy Intake ◽

Body Fat ◽

Respiratory Quotient ◽

Lower Amount ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Metabolic Data

Background. Malnourished infants are small for age and weight.Objectives. Determine profiles in 24-hour energy metabolism in recovering malnourished infants and compare to similarly aged healthy controls.Methods. 10 malnourished infants (58.1±5.9 cm,7.7±5.6months) were healthy prior to spending 22 hours in the Enhanced Metabolic Testing Activity Chamber for measurement of EE (kcal/min), sleeping metabolic rate (SMR; kcal/min), respiratory quotient (RQ;VCO2/VO2), and physical activity (PA; oscillations in wt/min/kg body weight). Metabolic data were extrapolated to 24 hours (kcal/kg/d). Energy intake (kcal/kg/d) and the proportions (%) of carbohydrate, protein, and fat were calculated. Anthropometrics for malnourished infants were obtained. Statistical differences (P<.05) between groups were determined (SPSS, version 13).Results. In comparison to controls, malnourished infants were lighter (4.1±1.2versus7.3±0.8 kg;P<.05), had less body fat % (10.3±7.6versus25.7±2.5), and lower BMI (12.0±1.7versus15.5±1.5;P<.05). In contrast, they had greater energy intake (142.7±14.6versus85.1±25.8;P<.05) with a greater percentage of carbohydrates (55.1±3.9versus47.2±5.2;P<.05). However, malnourished infants had greater 24-hour EE (101.3±20.1versus78.6±8.4;P<.05), SMR (92.6±17.1versus65.0±3.9;P<.05), and RQ (1.00±0.13versus0.86±0.08;P<.05) along with a lower amount of PA (2.3±0.94versus4.0±1.5;P<.05).Conclusions. Malnourished infants require more energy, possibly for growth.

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