Twenty-four-hour energy expenditure and basal metabolic rate measured in a whole-body indirect calorimeter in Gambian men.
By use of a respiration chamber, 24-hour energy expenditure (EE), diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), and basal and sleeping EE were measured in 20 young rural Gambian men during the "hungry" season (weight, 60.8 +/- 1.4 kg) and in a group of 16 European men matched for body composition (weight, 66.9 +/- 1.9 kg). The 24-h EE was lower in Gambian than in European men (2047 +/- 46 vs 2635 +/- 74 kcal/d, p less than 0.001, respectively). Basal EE and sleeping EE were also lower in Gambian than in European men (1.05 +/- 0.02 vs 1.25 +/- 0.02 kcal/min and 1.0 +/- 0.02 vs 1.18 +/- 0.02 kcal/min, p less than 0.01, respectively). DIT was blunted in Gambian compared with European men (6.3 +/- 0.6% vs 12.1 +/- 0.5%, p less than 0.001 respectively). The net efficiency of walking was greater in Gambian than in European men (23.2 +/- 0.3% vs 20.1 +/- 0.4%, p less than 0.001, respectively). A low basal and sleeping EE, a reduced DIT, and a high work efficiency are important energy-sparing mechanisms in Gambian men, which allow them to cope with a marginal level of dietary intake during the hungry season.
Minghelli
G
G
Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Schutz
Y
Y
Charbonnier
A
A
Whitehead
R
R
Jéquier
E
E
D000328:Adult; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015444:Exercise; D005714:Gambia; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D044469:Racial Groups; D013557:Switzerland