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Energy expenditure and body composition

Metabolic adaptations to over—and underfeeding—still a matter of debate?

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 443–445 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Weight changes in response to a change in energy intake are smaller than calculated from the excess or deficit of energy intake. Digestion efficiency is not affected by intake level when consuming the same diet. Over- or underfeeding induces an increase or decrease in energy expenditure. Intake-induced expenditure changes are largely explained by proportional changes in diet-induced energy expenditure, in activity-induced energy expenditure and in maintenance expenditure as a function of changes in body weight and body composition. Additionally, underfeeding causes a metabolic adaptation as reflected in a reduction of maintenance expenditure below predicted values and defined as adaptive thermogenesis. Thus, alternating overfeeding and underfeeding with an iso-energetic amount results in a positive energy balance. The latter might be one of the explanations for the increasing incidence of obesity in our current society with an ample food supply.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    K R Westerterp

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  1. K R Westerterp
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Correspondence to K R Westerterp.

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Westerterp, K. Metabolic adaptations to over—and underfeeding—still a matter of debate?. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 443–445 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.187

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.187

Keywords

  • energy balance
  • digestion efficiency
  • diet-induced energy expenditure
  • activity-induced energy expenditure
  • resting energy expenditure

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