Reduced Fat Oxidation as a Potential Pathway Linking Early-Life Adversity to Obesity Risk: Evidence From Vanuatu.

Area of Science:

• Human physiology
• Nutritional science
• Developmental biology

Background:

• Early life environmental conditions can impact long-term health, including obesity risk.
• Mechanisms linking early adversity to adult obesity are not fully understood.
• Reduced metabolic rate and impaired fat oxidation are hypothesized factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between early-life adversity and metabolic rate.
• To examine the relationship between early-life adversity and fat oxidation.
• To test if early adversity influences resting metabolic rate (RMR) and respiratory quotient (RQ).

Main Methods:

• Study included 80 children and adolescents (aged 6-15) in Vanuatu.
• Relative lower limb length served as a proxy for early-life environmental conditions.
• Indirect calorimetry measured fasting resting metabolic rate (RMR) and respiratory quotient (RQ).

Main Results:

• No significant association was found between relative lower limb length and RMR.
• Relative lower limb length was significantly negatively associated with RQ, indicating reduced fat oxidation.
• Results were adjusted for age, sex, fat-free body mass, community, and family factors.

Conclusions:

• Adverse early-life conditions may lead to reduced fat oxidation.
• This reduction in fat oxidation could elevate the risk of adult obesity.
• Findings may help explain the double burden of malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries.