Resting energy expenditure and gut microbiota in obese and normal weight subjects.

OBJECTIVES: It is suggested that gut microbiota play a role in the pathogenesis of obesity enhancing energy utilization from digested food. The influence of gut microbiota on resting energy expenditure (REE) has not been evaluated yet. AIM: The aim of the study is to assess the composition on gut microbiota and its association with REE in obese and normal weight subjects. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: REE measurement and semi-quantitative analysis of gut microbiota composition in aerobic and anaerobic conditions were performed in 50 obese and 30 normal weight subjects without concomitant diseases. RESULTS: A count of bacterial colony was greater in obese than in normal weight subjects. However, the proportion of Bacteroides spp. and Firmicutes was similar in both study groups. A positive correlation between REE (kcal/d) and total bacterial count (r = 0.26, p < 0.05), as well as between REE and the percentage of Firmicutes (r = -0.24, p < 0.05) was found. The multiple regression analysis did not prove an independent impact of total bacterial as well as Bacteroides spp. and Firmicutes counts on REE. CONCLUSIONS: The composition of gut microbiota is not associated with the level of resting energy expenditure. The proportion of Bacteroides and Firmicutes in gut microbiota is not related to body mass.

Prevalence of obesity in Poland.

Obesity is an important health problem in Poland affecting adolescents and adults. A study of a Lower Silesian population aged 20-40 years (25 400 participants), between 1993 and 2003, showed an increase in obese women from 8.9% to 15.0%, but no change in men (6.3% vs. 6.5%, respectively). Obesity occurs more frequently in girls and women (6% and 15%) compared to boys and men (4.0% and 6.5%, respectively). Estimation of obesity prevalence in various parts of Poland seems to be regionally dependent; the highest prevalence of obesity was observed in eastern regions of Poland.

Caffeine and coffee: their influence on metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals.

A series of four trials was carried out to investigate the effects of caffeine and coffee on the metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals. In the first trial 8 mg/kg caffeine was compared with a placebo in normal weight subjects. Metabolic rate increased significantly during the 3 hr after caffeine ingestion. While plasma glucose, insulin, and carbohydrate oxidation did not change significantly, plasma free fatty acid levels rose from 432 +/- 31 to 848 +/- 135 muEq/liter and were accompanied by significant increases in fat oxidation during the last hour of the test. In the second and third trials the effects of coffee providing 4 mg/kg caffeine were studied in control and obese subjects. Metabolic rate increased significantly in both groups; however, significant increases in fat oxidation were only observed in the control group. Plasma free fatty acids did not change in the obese. In the fourth trial, coffee was taken with a 3080 kJ meal. The thermic effect of the meal was significantly greater after coffee than after decaffeinated coffee and again fat oxidation was significantly greater after coffee. In conclusion caffeine/coffee stimulates the metabolic rate in both control and obese individuals; however, this is accompanied by greater oxidation of fat in normal weight subjects.

Effects of timing on energy expenditure during rest and exercise in obese women.

The metabolic rate of obese women and control group was established by indirect calorimetry. Each subject in resting state and during ergometer cycling test was examined three times a day, before meals. The resting metabolic rate of both groups increased during the day. During exercise the energy expenditure of obese subjects was significantly higher than that of the control group. The presented results show that in obese subjects the highest exercise energy expenditure appeared in the evening and in the afternoon.

Pharmacokinetics of theophylline in obesity.

Pharmacokinetic analysis of theophylline was performed in 16 obese women before and after 3-week weight-reducing treatment. Decrease of clearance, increase of t1/2, AUC, and MRT were observed. There were no differences between the volume of distribution before and after weight-reducing treatment. Our results suggest that ideal body weight should be used to calculate a loading dose of theophylline for obese patients; weight-reducing treatment may be connected with changes in biotransformation and elimination of theophylline more than with its distribution.

[The QT interval dispersion and ventricular late potential in obese women]. / Ocena dyspersji odstepu QT i wystepowania póznych potencjalów komorowych u kobiet z otyloscia prosta.

UNLABELLED: Obesity is known to be a risk factor of cardiac death, that is associated first of all with cardiac arrhythmias. Increased QT dispersion (QTd) and ventricular late potentials (LP) are measurable indices of ventricular arrhythmias risk. The aim of this study is to asses QTd and LP in women with obesity. 62 obese women (mean BMI 36.7 kg/m2) and 15 apparently healthy subjects (mean BMI 24.5 kg/m2) were included in our study. QTd and correlated QT interval dispersion (QTdc) were calculated from 12-lead ECG. LVM were assessed from echocardiograms. LP were obtained by signal averaging of surface electrocardiograms. RESULTS: QTd, QTdc, LVM were significantly higher in patients. We found LP in six cases and higher QTdc in this subgroup. According to our research, increased QTd in obese women seems to be associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and increased QTd is significantly higher in subjects with LP.

[Tumor necrosis factor alpha and its soluble receptors in serum of patients with coronary artery disease]. / Czynnik martwicy nowotworów alpha i rozpuszczalne formy jego receptorów w surowicy u chorych na chorobe wiencowa.

TNF-alpha as a pleiotropic, proinflammatory cytokine seems to play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD). TNF-alpha is binding to two cell surface receptors and its serum activity is modified by soluble forms of these receptors: sTNF-R I and sTNF-R II. The aim of this study was to assess serum concentrations of TNF-alpha, sTNF-R I and sTNF-R II in patients (pts) with CAD. We examined serum concentrations of TNF-alpha, sTNF-R I and sTNF-R II by ELISA in: 45 pts with stable exertional angina (group I); 32 pts with unstable angina (group II) within 6, 24, and 48 h after the chest pain; and 23 pts before and 6, 24, and 48 h after PTCA (group III). The control group (group C) consisted of 20 healthy subjects. We evaluated: clinical state of patients and results of some diagnostic examinations (lipids, ECG, echocardiography, coronary angiography). Mean serum concentrations of TNF-alpha were significantly higher in pts ith CAD (group I: 18.25 +/- 5.5 pg/ml; group II: 17.24 +/- 4.0 pg/ml; group III: 18.70 +/- 0.6 pg/ml; p < 0.001) than in healthy pts (8.31 +/- 1.4 pg/ml). In turn mean serum concentrations of sTNF-R I were significantly higher both in group I (1399.6 +/- 536.3 pg/ml; p < 0.05) and III (1544.0 +/- 391.4 pg/ml; p < 0.01) than in control group (1093.9 +/- 456.9 pg/ml). There were not differences in mean serum concentrations of sTNF-R II. We found no differences between mean serum concentrations of TNF-alpha, sTNF-R I and sTNF-R II either after the chest pain (group II); or before and after PTCA (group III). In group I mean TNF-alpha correlated with serum triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.412 and r = -0.424; p < 0.01); sTNF-R I correlated with LDL-cholesterol (r = -0.309; p < 0.05); and sTNF-R II correlated with total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (r = 0.311 and r = 0.316; p < 0.05). The serum concentrations of TNF-alpha are increased in patients with CAD, but this does not reflect the clinical state of patients. In pts with stable angina these increased levels of TNF-alpha may be accompanied with higher concentrations of sTNF-R I--it seems to be the compensatory mechanism in long-term atherosclerosis. Lipid disturbances may influence the cytokines metabolism in pts with CAD.

Metabolic effects associated with adipose tissue distribution.

Cardiovascular and metabolic risk depends not only on the overall obesity but also fat distribution is more powerfull predictor for risk factors. Adipose tissue produces and secretes a variety of bioactive peptides - adipokines The most recently described adipocyte secretory proteins contribute to the pathogenesis of impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, a proinflammatory state and promote progression of atherosclerosis. This review presents an overview of the adipose tissue secreted proteins (leptin, TNF-alpha, IL-6, adiponectin, resistin, visfatin, ASP, FIAF, MT) role and their regulation in the context of abdominal obesity and the adverse metabolic consequences.

The influence of a 3-month weight reduction therapy with Orlistat on serum vitamin B12 and folic acid concentration in obese women.

OBJECTIVE: Serum folic acid, but not the vitamin B(12) concentration, was found to be significantly lower in obese subjects than in the control ones. DESIGN: The aim of this study was to examine the levels of serum vitamin B(12) and folic acid in obese women before and after weight reduction therapy with Orlistat in comparison to healthy controls with normal body weight. SUBJECTS: Twenty obese women participated in a 3-month weight reduction therapy. The control group consisted of 20 healthy women. MEASUREMENTS: Body weight and height were measured and BMI was calculated. Body composition was analyzed with the impedance method using a Bodystat analyzer. In all patients before and after 3-month weight reduction therapy, serum concentrations of folic acid and vitamin B(12) were assessed. RESULTS: In obese women, serum concentrations of folic acid and vitamin B(12) did not change significantly after 3-month weight reduction therapy with Orlistat.

Nutritional status and physical fitness of Polish miners and steel workers.

The nutritional status of 690 miners and 604 steel workers was determined. Their physical fitness was estimated by an indirect method using the Astrand Rhyming nomogram. The nutritional status parameters indicated an increase in weight in relation to increasing age: 57% of the subjects were overweight. Over 70% were current smokers. The mean value for V O2max was 2.8 +/- 0.5 l/min/38 +/- 7 ml/kg per min. The high percentage of subjects (Polish miners and steel workers) who eat too much, are overweight, smoke and who have a low physical-activity level during their leisure time demonstrates the risk for coronary heart disease.

Thermal and metabolic responses to heat exposure in obesity.

Thirteen obese and 13 lean women were each exposed to a hot-humid condition (Tdb = 47 degrees C, Twb = 39 degrees C) for 1 hr. Measurements included rates of heart beat, respiration, sweat evaporation, and resting metabolism, and the rectal and mean skin temperatures. Resting metabolic rate was calculated from oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. The obese subjects were more tolerant of heat than were lean subjects, as indicated by the smaller thermal and metabolic responses of the obese.

Thermic effect of food and exercise in obesity.

The thermic effects of food and exercise were studied on groups of normally [10] weighted and obese [14] subjects using oxygen consumption as the criterion of energy expenditure. The results indicated that the increased resting metabolism resulting from the ingestion of a 4.200 kJ mixed content meal (thermic effect) was similar in the two groups (12-17%). But the further potentiation of this thermic effect resulting from exercise following a meal was virtually absent in the obese group (0.8%), while in the normally weighted controls it amounted to a further 17%. It is suggested that the absence of exercise-induced potentiation in the obese may help to explain their difficulty in regard to maintenance of "normal" weight and weight reduction.

The thermic effect of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee ingested with breakfast.

The thermic effect of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee ingested with a standard breakfast was studied in 8 healthy subjects with indirect calorimetry. A higher increase in the metabolic rate was observed after ingestion of the breakfast with coffee containing caffeine than after that with coffee deprived of caffeine.

Weight reduction and seasonal variation.

The purpose of the study was to establish whether there are variations in the efficiency of slimming treatment conducted in different seasons of the year. The clinical slimming treatment was undertaken over three years in 146 obese women. The efficacy of the treatment was determined by mean daily loss of body weight. The presented results show that weight reduction was season-dependent. The best results, ie the most marked loss of weight, were observed in spring, and the worst during winter.

Energy expenditure in obese women on a reducing diet.

Energy expenditure during rest and exercise was studied in 13 obese women on a 400 kcal weight-reducing diet. The resting metabolic rate did not decrease during weight reduction. Diminished energy expenditure during standard ergometer test indicates that a progressively increasing physical activity is needed during dietetic treatment to achieve the optimal weight loss.