title: Low relative resting metabolic rate and body weight gain in adult Caucasian Italians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between resting metabolic rate (RMR) and subsequent changes in body size and degree of fatness in a group of adult Caucasian Italians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, longitudinal, observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 155 subjects (72 males and 83 females, age range: 18-55 y; BMI: 17.5-63.4 kg/m2) were evaluated. In total, 43 (26 m and 17 f; BMI: 28.9+/-1.1 kg/m2, mean+/-s.e.m.) of them were reassessed 10-12 y later.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anthropometric and body composition (bioimpedance analysis) parameters and RMR (indirect calorimetry) were taken at baseline and after 10-12 y.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects (15 m, 8 f) who gained body weight (arbitrarily defined as a change in body weight > or = 5 kg) had baseline BMI (29.9+/-1.8 vs 28.0+/-1.4; P = NS) and body composition in terms of fat mass (FM%) and fat-free mass (FFM kg) comparable to those of the subjects (11 m, 9 f) whose body weight remained stable. Baseline RMR was significantly lower in subjects who gained weight than in those who did not (108+/-2.1 vs 122+/-3.1 kJ/kg-FFM 24 h; P < 0.001), although it did not differ significantly between the two groups (119+/-2 vs 121+/-2 kJ/kg-FFM 24 h; P = NS) 10-12 y later. Baseline RMR was inversely correlated to both change in body weight (r = -0.57; P < 0.001) and FM (r = -0.50; P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A low RMR normalized for FFM appears to be associated with body weight gain in the long run in adult Caucasian Italians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Palermo, Italy. silbus@tin.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buscemi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verga
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caimi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cerasola
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001481:Basal Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010992:Plethysmography, Impedance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*