A low resting metabolic rate is associated with metabolic syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
The metabolic syndrome is associated with central accumulation of fat. Previous studies showed that some obese subjects are characterized by a sparing energy metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether obese subjects with metabolic syndrome have a lower resting metabolic rate than obese subjects without metabolic syndrome.


METHODS
Forty obese subjects were divided into three groups according to the presence of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes; 15 non-obese healthy control subjects were also enrolled. Body composition (bio-impedance analysis) and resting metabolic rate (indirect calorimetry) were performed.


RESULTS
The group with metabolic syndrome exhibited a significantly lower resting metabolic rate adjusted for fat-free mass with respect to the control group and the obese group without metabolic syndrome (respectively: 108+/-3 vs. 118+/-3, p<0.01 and 123+/-3 kJ/kg fat-free mass 24 h, p<0.01; mean+/-sem). The obese group with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (T2D) had a not different adjusted resting metabolic rate (114+/-6 kJ/kg fat-free mass 24h) with respect to other groups.


CONCLUSIONS
An energy sparing condition seems to characterize non-diabetic obese subjects with metabolic syndrome.
Buscemi
Silvio
S
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Malattie Cardiovascolari e NefroUrologiche, Facoltà di Medicina, Università di Palermo, Italy. silbus@tin.it
Verga
Salvatore
S
Caimi
Gregorio
G
Cerasola
Giovanni
G
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D001481:Basal Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*