2,322 research outputs found
Individual differences in apparent energy digestibility are larger than generally recognized
Disturbances in energy balance are responsible for 2 of the world's major health problems: obesity and protein-calorie malnutrition. Even small positive or negative excursions in energy balance lead to relatively large changes in body weight over prolonged time period
[Email from Steven Heymsfield to Anne Gooch Concerning the Curriculum Vitae of Steven B Heymsfield]
Are adult body circumferences associated with height? Relevance to normative ranges and circumferential indexes.
BACKGROUND: Weight scales as height squared, which is an observation that forms the basis of body mass index (weight/height(2)). If, and how, circumferences, including waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC), scale to height remains unclear, but this is an important consideration when developing normative ranges or applying WC/height and HC/height as risk indexes.OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to examine the scaling of weight, WC, and HC to height in NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) III participants.DESIGN: Subjects were adult non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Mexican American men (n = 7422) and nonpregnant women (n = 7999) who had complete demographic and anthropometric data. In addition to height, allometric models were developed for each measure that controlled for age, race, and self-reported health status.RESULTS: After adjustment for age and race, weight scaled to height in men and women with mean (±SEE) powers of 2.29 ± 0.11 and 1.80 ± 0.07, respectively (both P < 0.001). Although univariate circumference-height models were weak or nonsignificant, when adjusted for age and race WC and HC scaled to height with powers of 0.76 ± 0.08 and 0.45 ± 0.05, respectively, in men and 0.80 ± 0.05 and 0.53 ± 0.04, respectively, in women (all P < 0.001). Age- and race-adjusted incremental increases in circumferences ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 cm per centimeter increase in height. Both WC/height and HC/height scaled negatively to height in men and women, and WC/HC scaled negatively to height in women only (all P < 0.001). Health status-adjusted models were similar.CONCLUSIONS: Circumferences and related ratios scale significantly to height, notably after adjustment for age and race, across subjects who are representative of the US population. These observations have implications for the clinical and epidemiologic use of these anthropometric measures and indexes
Percentage of body fat cutoffs by sex, age, and race-ethnicity in the US adult population from NHANES 1999-2004
To date, there is no consensus regarding adult cutoffs of percentage of body fat or estimated cutoffs on the basis of nationally representative samples with rigorous body-composition measurements.Background: To date, there is no consensus regarding adult cutoffs of percentage of body fat or estimated cutoffs on the basis of nationally representative samples with rigorous body-composition measurements. Objective: We developed cutoffs of percentage of body fat on the basis of the relation between dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-measured fat mass and BMI (in kg/m(2)) stratified by sex, age, and race-ethnicity by using 1999-2004 NHANES data. Design: A simple regression (percentage of body fat = beta(0) + beta(1) x 1 divided by BMI) was fit for each combination of sex (men and women), 3 age groups (18-29, 30-49, and 50-84 y of age), and 3 race-ethnicity groups (non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans). Model fitting included a consideration of complex survey design and multiple imputations. Cutoffs of percentage of body fat were computed that corresponded to BMI cutoffs of 18.5, 25, 30, 35, and 40 on the basis of estimated prediction equations. Results: R-2 ranged from 0.54 to 0.72 for men (n = 6544) and 0.58 to 0.79 for women (n = 6362). In men, the percentage of body fat that corresponded to a BMI of 18.5, 25, 30, 35, and 40 across age and racial-ethnic groups ranged from 12.2% to 19.0%, 22.6% to 28.0%, 27.5% to 32.3%, 31.0% to 35.3%, and 33.6% to 37.6%, respectively; the corresponding ranges in women were from 24.6% to 32.3%, 35.0% to 40.2%, 39.9% to 44.1%, 43.4% to 47.1%, and 46.1% to 49.4%, respectively. The oldest age group had the highest cutoffs of percentage of body fat. Non-Hispanic blacks had the lowest cutoffs of percentage of body fat. Cutoffs of percentage of body fat were higher in women than in men. Conclusions: Cutoffs of percentage of body fat that correspond to the current US BMI cutoffs are a function of sex, age, and race-ethnicity. These factors should be taken into account when considering the appropriateness of levels of percentage of body fat
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Obesity in adults is usually defined by the body mass index (BMI), with cutoff values corresponding to increased mortality risk.
Simple Skeletal Muscle Mass Estimation Formulas: What We Can Learn From Them
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 lifespa
Obesity and functional impairment: influence of comorbidity, joint pain, and mental health
To examine the relationship between obesity and functional impairment and the influence of comorbidity, joint pain, and mental health on this association, we used US adult respondents (N = 430,912) to the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS-07). Functional impairment was indicated if a respondent was either (i) limited in any way or in any activities because of physical, mental, or emotional problems, or (ii) had any health problem that required using special equipment such as a cane, wheelchair, special bed, or special telephone. Approximately 62.8% of respondents were overweight or obese and 20.3% were functionally impaired. The unadjusted relationship between obesity and functional impairment revealed a classical J-shaped pattern with odds ratios (95% confidence interval) compared to the normal weight group: 1.63 (1.54-1.73), 1.22 (1.20-1.25), 1.77 (1.73-1.81), 2.43 (2.36-2.51), and 4.12 (3.97-4.27) for underweight, overweight, obesity class I, II, and III, respectively. Although inclusion of different combinations of sociodemographic and medical covariates substantially attenuated the unadjusted association, the collective inclusion of all covariates in a single model did not eliminate the significant J-shaped association resulting in the following corresponding adjusted odds ratios: 1.19 (1.13-1.25), 1.01 (0.99-1.04), 1.23 (1.19-1.27), 1.38 (1.32-1.44), and 1.92 (1.82-2.02). The attenuation was mostly influenced by medical comorbidity. In conclusion, functional impairment is associated with obesity, primarily due to medical comorbidity conditions. The significant residual association highlights the importance of sustainable obesity prevention and treatment at both the individual and public level as functional impairment can create burdens at individual, familial, and societal levels
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