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Investigation of seasonality of human spontaneous physical activity and energy expenditure in respiratory chamber in Phoenix, Arizona

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 78, pages 27–33 (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

The existence of seasonal changes in energy metabolism is uncertain. We investigated the relationship between the seasons and spontaneous physical activity (SPA), energy expenditure (EE), and other components measured in a respiratory chamber.

Methods

Between 1985–2005, 671 healthy adults (aged 28.8 ± 7.1 years; 403 men) in Phoenix, Arizona had a 24-hour stay in the respiratory chamber equipped with radar sensors; SPA (expressed as a percentage over the time interval), the energy cost of SPA, EE, and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were measured.

Results

In models adjusted for known covariates, SPA (%) was lower during summer (7.2 ± 2.9, p = 0.0002), spring (7.5 ± 2.9, p = 0.025), and fall (7.6 ± 3, p = 0.038) compared to winter (8.3 ± 3.5, reference). Conversely, energy cost of SPA (kcal/h/%) was higher during summer (2.18 ± 0.83, p = 0.0008), spring (2.186 ± 0.83, p = 0.017), and fall (2.146 ± 0.75, p = 0.038) compared to winter (2.006 ± 0.76). Protein (292 ± 117 kcal/day, β = −21.2, p = 0.08) oxidation rates was lower in the summer compared to winter. Carbohydrate and lipid oxidation rates (kcal/day) did not differ across seasons. RER and 24-h EE did not differ by season.

Conclusion

SPA, representing fidgeting-like behavior in the chamber, demonstrated a winter peak and summer nadir in humans living in a desert climate. These findings indicate that the physiological propensity for movement may be affected by seasonal factors.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT00340132, NCT00342732

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Fig. 1: Spontaneous physical activity, awake and fed thermogenesis, and 24-h total and sleep energy expenditure.
Fig. 2: Respiratory exchange ratio and substrate oxidation.
Fig. 3 : Energy cost of spontaneous physical activity and energy expenditure in the inactive state.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during this study will be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request pending application and approval.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the volunteers who participated in our studies. We also thank the nursing, clinical, and dietary staff, and laboratory technicians of the Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch for conducting the examinations and for their valuable assistance and care of the volunteers.

Funding

Funding

This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obesity and Diabetes Clinical Research Section, Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Beyza N. Aydin, Emma J. Stinson, Tomás Cabeza De Baca, Takafumi Ando, Katherine T. Travis, Paolo Piaggi, Jonathan Krakoff & Douglas C. Chang

  2. Human-Centered Mobility Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan

    Takafumi Ando

  3. Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Paolo Piaggi

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  1. Beyza N. Aydin
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Contributions

BNA: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – Original Draft, Visualization. EJS, TCDB, TA, KTT, PP: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – Review and Editing. DCC and JK: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – Review and Editing, Visualization, Supervision. DCC is the guarantor of the work and, as such, had full access to all the study data and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

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Correspondence to Beyza N. Aydin.

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Aydin, B.N., Stinson, E.J., Cabeza De Baca, T. et al. Investigation of seasonality of human spontaneous physical activity and energy expenditure in respiratory chamber in Phoenix, Arizona. Eur J Clin Nutr 78, 27–33 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-023-01347-y

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