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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
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Energy expenditure in children of lean and obese parents

M I Goran1, W H Carpenter, A McGloin

  • 1Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA.

The American Journal of Physiology
|May 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Children of obese parents do not show significant defects in total or activity energy expenditure. Resting energy expenditure was slightly lower in children with only one obese parent, but overall findings do not support inherited energy expenditure defects.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric obesity research
  • Human metabolism and energy balance
  • Genetics of energy expenditure

Background:

  • Parental obesity is a risk factor for childhood obesity.
  • Potential inherited defects in energy expenditure could contribute to obesity transmission.
  • Previous studies have not conclusively determined if children of obese parents have altered energy expenditure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if children of obese parents exhibit defects in energy expenditure.
  • To determine the relationship between parental obesity and children's total energy expenditure (TEE), resting energy expenditure (REE), and physical activity energy expenditure (AEE).

Main Methods:

  • Study included 73 children (aged 5 +/- 0.9 years) with lean or obese parents.
  • Total energy expenditure (TEE) measured over 14 days using doubly labeled water.
  • Resting energy expenditure (REE) and physical activity energy expenditure (AEE) calculated; body composition assessed via bioelectrical impedance.

Main Results:

  • No significant correlations found between children's energy expenditure (TEE, REE, AEE) and parental or child body fat after adjusting for fat-free mass (FFM).
  • No significant effects of child's gender, maternal obesity, or paternal obesity on TEE or AEE.
  • A significant effect of gender and a significant interaction between maternal and paternal obesity were observed for REE.

Conclusions:

  • The study's data do not support the hypothesis that children of obese parents have major defects in energy expenditure.
  • While some minor effects on resting energy expenditure were noted based on parental obesity status, overall energy expenditure appears unaffected.
  • Findings suggest that factors other than inherited energy expenditure defects play a larger role in the intergenerational transmission of obesity.

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