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Disproportionately increased 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in young men with low birth weight during a high-fat overfeeding challenge

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Abstract

Background

Low birth weight (LBW) associates with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. LBW individuals exhibit disproportionately reduced peripheral insulin action and increased fat oxidation after a 5-day high-fat overfeeding (HFO) challenge. Furthermore, LBW men exhibit increased nocturnal fat oxidation during energy balance and low energy expenditure (EE) during fasting. We hypothesized that short-term HFO could further unmask key defects of whole-body energy metabolism in LBW men.

Methods

Eighteen LBW (2717 ± 268 g) and 26 normal birth weight (NBW) (3893 ± 207 g) healthy young men were included in a 5-day HFO (60 E % fat, +50 % calories) study. The 24-h EE, respiratory quotient and substrate oxidation rates were assessed by indirect calorimetry using respiratory chambers.

Results

After adjusting for body composition, the LBW subjects displayed increased nighttime EE (P = 0.02) compared with NBW controls during HFO. Nighttime glucose oxidation rate was decreased (P = 0.06, adjusted P = 0.05), while both adjusted 24-h (P = 0.07) and nighttime (P = 0.02) fat oxidation rate was elevated in LBW subjects. The relative contribution of fat oxidation to EE was increased in LBW compared with NBW men during the entire 24-h period (P = 0.06) and during nighttime (P = 0.03).

Conclusions

We suggest that disproportionally enhanced fat oxidation in LBW individuals during short-term HFO represents a compensatory response to reduced subcutaneous adipose tissue expandability and storage capacity. The extent to which this mechanism may lead to, or be replaced by insulin resistance, ectopic fat accumulation and/or glucose intolerance during long-term HFO in LBW needs further studies.

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Acknowledgments

We thank John Lind, Martin Kreutzer and Charlotte Kostecki at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as Marianne Modest and Lars Sander Koch at Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, Denmark, for technical support and assistance. We are especially appreciative of all the young men who participated in this study.

Funding

This work was supported by The Danish Council for Independent Research-Medical Sciences (FSS), the Danish Council for Strategic Research, the Programme Commission on Food and Health (FØSU), the Danish Diabetes Association, the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD), the EU 6th Framework EXGENESIS Grant and the Aase and Ejnar Danielsen Foundation.

Author contribution

C.B. performed the study, researched data, wrote the manuscript, and reviewed and edited the manuscript. S.K.L. researched data, contributed to the discussion, and reviewed and edited the manuscript. A.V. and A.A. designed the study, contributed to the discussion, and reviewed and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Charlotte Brøns.

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All authors declare that there is no duality of interest associated with this manuscript.

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Brøns, C., Lilleøre, S.K., Astrup, A. et al. Disproportionately increased 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in young men with low birth weight during a high-fat overfeeding challenge. Eur J Nutr 55, 2045–2052 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1018-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1018-7

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