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Energy Balance in Huntington's Disease
Cecilia Gil Polo1, Esther Cubo Delgado, Ana Mateos Cachorro
1Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario de Burgos, Burgos, Spain.
Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism
|November 4, 2015
Summary
Huntington's disease patients have lower total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity (PA) than controls. Despite reduced energy needs, they maintain adequate food intake to meet their nutritional requirements.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Metabolism
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Energy needs in Huntington's disease (HD) are not well understood.
- This study investigates total energy expenditure (TEE) and energy balance (EB) in HD patients compared to healthy individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze and compare TEE and EB in a sample of HD patients and controls.
- To understand the relationship between physical activity and energy expenditure in HD.
Main Methods:
- An observational, case-control study design was employed.
- Energy intake (EI) was assessed via dietary recall.
- TEE was calculated as resting energy expenditure (REE) plus physical activity (PA), measured by indirect calorimetry and actigraphy, respectively.
Main Results:
- Twenty-two HD patients and 18 controls were included.
- Patients exhibited significantly lower TEE (p=0.03) and PA (p=0.02) compared to controls.
- Energy intake (EI) was similar between groups (38.6 kcal/kg).
Conclusions:
- HD patients demonstrate reduced TEE, primarily driven by decreased voluntary physical activity.
- Despite lower energy expenditure, HD patients can adequately meet their nutritional requirements through sufficient food intake.
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