title: Association between Adult Stature and Energy Expenditure in Low-Income Women from Northeastern Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perinatal undernutrition may lead to important metabolic adaptations in adult life, short stature being the most visible. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between stature and total energy expenditure of low-income women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women aged 19-45 years from low-income communities in Maceió-AL were recruited. A sample of 67 volunteers was selected and divided into either short stature (≤ 152.4 cm; n = 34) or non-short stature (≥ 158.7 cm; n = 33) group. Data on socioeconomic status, anthropometric variables, and hormonal profiles was collected. Total energy expenditure and body composition were assessed by the doubly labeled water technique with multiple points over 14 days. In addition, physical activity levels were measured with triaxial accelerometers and dietary intake data were collected using three 24-hour food records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean subject age was 30.94 years. Women of short stature had lower body weight and lean body mass compared to non-short women, but there were no differences in thyroid hormone concentrations or daily energy intake between the two groups. Short-stature women showed lower total energy expenditure (P = 0.01) and a significantly higher physical activity level (P = 0.01) compared to non-short women. However, the difference in total energy expenditure was no longer significant after statistical adjustment for age, lean body mass, and triiodothyronine concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women with short stature present the same energy intake, but lower total energy expenditure than non-short women, even with a higher physical activity level, which suggests that they are more prone to weight gain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabiana Cristina Alves
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nassib Bezerra
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula Grotti
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Clemente
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of São Paulo, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferriolli
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Telma Maria Menezes Toledo
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Florêncio
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Lydia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sawaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014284:Triiodothyronine