Resting Metabolic Rate for Diagnosing Tae-Eum Sasang Type and Unraveling the Mechanism of Type-Specific Obesity

Increased resting metabolic rate (RMR), representing augmented energy expenditure, is a preferred physical characteristic; however, the Tae-Eum Sasang type, with a high incidence of obesity and metabolic diseases, has a higher RMR. This study scrutinized the physical characteristics of Sasang typology, a traditional Korean personalized medicine, to resolve this discrepancy, which can unravel the mechanism of Tae-Eum-type-specific obesity and improve the Tae-Eum Sasang-type diagnosis. A total of 395 healthy participants provided Sasang-type diagnosis using Sasang Constitutional Analysis Tool and physical features, including skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, and RMR, along with those standardized using body weight. The Tae-Eum-type group showed significantly higher body weight, body mass index, body fat mass, and unstandardized RMR (kcal/day) than others, while their standardized measures of RMR per weigh (RMRw, kcal/day/kg) and percent skeletal muscle (PSM, %) were significantly lower. The logistic regression model revealed that the RMRw is pivotal for discriminating Tae-Eum type from others and explaining the developmental mechanism of Tae-Eum-type obesity. The aforementioned might provide a theoretical framework for Sasang-type diagnosis and Sasang-type-specific health promotion using bodily exercise and medical herbs.