Introduction: Changes in eating habits and incorporation of physical activities remain to be the main methods in treating obesity. To set an adequate calorie intake, which would lead to weight loss, it is necessary to determine energy needs of an individual. For that energy intake and energy expenditure need to be determinate. However, energy expenditure is difficult to determine since it is contributed of three components. Basal, respectively resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is affected by a body composition, has the greatest influence on a total energy expenditure. Indirect calorimetry (IC) is considered to be a gold standard to determine RMR. When RMR is calculated by prediction equations instead, such as Harris-Benedict (H-B) equation, energy needs are overestimate or underestimate for people with abnormal body composition. Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyse data of RMR obtained using IC in connection to body composition. The main aim is to determine how fat free mas (FFM) and fat mass (FM) are affecting RMR in obese patients. There is also a comparation of RMR measured by the IC and RMR calculated using H-B equation as a part of this study, while IC is considered to be a reference method. Methods: Patients new to ambulance of obesitology at General University Hospital in Prague...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role exercise intensity plays in reducing body weight and percent body fat in overweight women. Subjects were randomized to either a high intensity interval training group (IT) or a lower intensity steady state training group (ST). Each group exercised 3 times per week for 8 weeks and expended 300 kcal per exercise session. VO2max, body composition, and resting metabolic rate (RMR) were measured pre and post training. RMR was measured after exercise at week 2 to see if intensity levels affected RMR. VO2max and body composition improved in IT but not in ST. Neither group showed a change in RMR from pretest to posttest; however, IT had an increase in RMR 24 hours post-exercise whereas ST did not. These findings show that high intensity interval exercise produces improvements in body composition, fitness, and acute RMR compared to low intensity steady state training.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of eating breakfast on energy intake, physical activity, body weight, and body fat in women who were nonhabitual breakfast eaters over a one-month period. METHODS: We tested 49 premenopausal, nonhabitual breakfast-eating women to compare the effects of eating breakfast versus not eating breakfast. Each participant was randomized to one of two conditions: breakfast or no breakfast. Breakfast eaters were required to eat within an hour and a half of awakening and had to be finished eating their breakfast meal by 8:30 A.M. Non-breakfast eaters were defined as not consuming a snack or meal (with the exception of water) until after 11:30 A.M. Participants assigned to the breakfast condition consumed at least 15% of their daily energy requirement for breakfast. Weight and body fat were assessed at the baseline and after one month of intervention. Body fat was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Participants completed seven 24-hour recalls to assess dietary intake during the intervention. Physical activity was measured by accelerometry for 32 consecutive days. RESULTS: On average, the participants randomized to eat breakfast consumed 266 ± 496 (F = 12.81; P = 0.0043) more calories per day over the course of the study and weighed 0.6 ± 0.81 kg (F = 7.81; p = 0.0076) more at the end of the intervention. There was no observed caloric compensation at subsequent meals and no change in self-reported hunger or satiety. There was also no physical activity compensation with the addition of breakfast. CONCLUSION: The findings of our study showed that requiring non-breakfast eaters to eat breakfast resulted in higher caloric intake and weight gain. Future research should evaluate this relationship for a longer period of time to see if adding breakfast to the diet of women who generally do not eat breakfast results in adaptive behavior change over time.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between achievement self-esteem, self acceptance self-esteem and body composition in college women. Methods: One-hundred and fifty eight college women were recruited to participate in the study. Participants were healthy, between the age of 18 and 25 yrs, not taking medication that would alter metabolism, and able to participate in physical activity without restriction. As part of the study the participants filled out the Worth Index, which measured level of self-acceptance and achievement self-esteem. The questionnaire included four subscales: basic human worth, performance factor, personal security and appearance. Body composition was assessed using the BOD POD. Results: Participants in the study were 19.9 ± 1.7 yrs, had a BMI of 22.5 ± 3.2 kg/m² and a percent body fat of 26.4 ± 6.4. Source of self-esteem was primarily self-acceptance self-esteem with participants on average scoring 65 ± 11 out of 84 (high moderate) compared to an achievement self-esteem score of 35 ± 10 out of 84 (low moderate). When evaluating the subscales a similar trend appears with the exception of the performance factor, which was more normally distributed. Achievement self-esteem in appearance was positively correlated to percent body fat (p<0.05). Global self-esteem was not related to percent body fat in this population. BMI was negatively related to performance factor and appearance with self-acceptance self-esteem (p<0.05). Global self-esteem was significantly lower for individuals in the highest BMI category. Conclusion: College women who identified less with achievement self-esteem in the subscale of appearance had a lower percent body fat than women who identified more with achievement self-esteem in the subscale for appearance. Also, women who had a higher BMI identified less with self-acceptance self-esteem in the subscales of appearance and performance. Women who had a higher BMI had lower overall self-esteem.

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between hip bone mineral density (BMD), fat free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), and total body mass (TBM) and the extent to which these relationships were modified by various confounding factors. The cross-sectional analysis included 262 healthy females (mean age 41.6±3.0 years). Methods: BMD of the hip and body composition were assessed by the Hologic 4500W dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) system. Total and intensity of physical activity (PA) were objectively measured using an Actigraph accelerometer. Dietary calcium and vitamin D from food and beverages, as well as from supplements, were measured separately using the Block food frequency questionnaire. Menopause status and prescription bone drug use were measured by a questionnaire. Results: The relationship between FFM and hip BMD was strong and robust (F=24.5, P<0.0001). Using the pooled standard deviation revealed a large effect size of 1.2 when comparing hip BMD of women with low FFM and high FFM. Potentially confounding variables, considered individually and collectively, did not change this relationship. The association between FM and hip BMD was also substantial (F=9.9, P<0.0001) and remained significant when controlling for all potentially confounding variables, except differences in FFM. The relationship between TBM and hip BMD was also strong and dose-response (F=21.5, P<0.0001) and remained significant, except when differences in FFM were controlled. Conclusion: The relationships between body mass (total, fat, and fat free) and BMD of the hip in middle-age women are strong and significant. The associations are not influenced by differences in age, height, menopause status, calcium or vitamin D intake, volume or intensity of PA, or the use of bone enhancing prescription drugs. The findings suggest that women with low body mass, particularly low FFM, tend to have low hip BMD and there is little that can be done to change this association.

Pinnipeds exhibit a wide range of lactation strategies that vary from just a few days to nearly three years in duration. Phocids have a relatively short, intense nursing period culminating with weaning after just a few days or weeks, while dependent otariids generally take several months of consuming a combined milk and solid food diet before being completely independent. The transition to nutritional independence can be particularly challenging for newly weaned pups, which must adjust to behavioral, physiological and nutritional changes as a milk diet is replaced with solid food. An interruption in energy resources during this formative stage could result in a prioritization away from growth, maintenance, or activity resulting in suboptimal development. Three groups of ex situ California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) pups were examined during the initial period of independence after they were weaned at approximately five, seven, and nine months of age. Absolute growth rates of pups were calculated and changes in body composition were estimated using blubber depth measurements and deuterium oxide dilution to determine if weaning age had an effect on subsequent pup development and growth. Blood urea nitrogen and blood glucose levels were observed for their response to changes in body condition, while thyroid hormone levels in the blood were examined as a possible nutritional stress indicator during the pup's transition to solid food. When compared to in situ pups, the 5 month old pups in the present study had significantly greater body mass (39.6 ± 1.6 kg, p < 0.01), axillary girth (85.3 ± 2.9 cm, p < 0.01), and axillary blubber depth (2.3 ± 0.1 cm, p < 0.01) compared to 5 month old in situ pups (26.6 ± 5.2 kg / 70.6 ± 5.34 cm / 1.5 ± 0.2 cm). Nine month old ex situ pups had significantly greater axillary blubber depth (3.7 ± 0.9 cm, p < 0.01) and total body lipid percentage (24.9 ± 4.7%, p= 0.01) than in situ pups (1.5 ± 0.2 cm / 17.1 ± 4.9%). Although all pups in the present study survived the transition to solid food, there were apparent differences in how the different age groups responded physiologically. The five month old pups began the switch to solid food with the lowest overall blubber depth (2.6 ± 0.9 cm) and experienced the greatest change in body mass (-8.5 ± 1.6 kg) and composition while taking the longest to begin physiological recovery (31.7 ± 1.2 d). In contrast, the 9 month old pups entered the transition with more energy reserves (24.9 ± 4.7% TBL), began consuming solid food sooner (16.3 ± 0.6 d), and were able to utilize reserves more efficiently to minimize loss and promote faster growth.

ABSTRACT The Effects of a Novel Exercise Training Suit on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Composition and Leg Strength Trevor Michael Curry The physiological responses to physical activity or exercise using external load carriage systems (LCS) in the form of weighted personal protective equipment, backpacks, or vests have biomechanical and human performance implications. It remains unclear whether a new unique LCS in the form of a weighted (5.45 kg) full-bodied exercise suit can induce greater improvements in performance and body composition. Twenty-one healthy males (20±3 years; 24.9±3.6 body mass index (BMI); 25.1±6.4% total percentage body fat ( % fat); 120.1±17.3 kg lean mass; 146.2±35.4 kg leg press 1-repetition max; 1.25±0.14 g·cm-2 bone mineral density; 49.5±8.53 mLO2·kg-1·min-1 maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)) were matched for VO2max and physical characteristics before being randomly allocated into an aerobic exercise intervention with or without the exercise suit using a treadmill at the Cal Poly Recreation Center. Participants jogged at 60%-70% of their maximum heart rate for 30 min three times a week on nonconsecutive days for six weeks. Weight was recorded before and after each session while heart rates, blood pressures, and tympanic membrane temperatures were recorded incrementally during each session. Thereafter, VO2max and the same physical characteristics were measured and used to analyze the changes before and after the 6-week program. The results indicate that there was no difference for the change in any of the variables measured during and between the exercise intervention. Future studies examining the effect of the exercise suit on these variables should strongly consider larger sample sizes and other subpopulations to gain the statistical power to measure the effects of the exercise suit.

Despite the known importance of body composition in relation to performance and health of athletes, this study appears to be the first, or one of very few, to evaluate body composition measures from the beginning to end of season for NCAA DI collegiate baseball players and assess their dietary intake. Baseball players from the 2015-2019 seasons were included in the study (n=78; age=19.8±1.28). DXA scans performed at the start and end of season were analyzed and 3-day food records analyzed via ESHA software were utilized to assess dietary intake. Groups were stratified to examine differences in players’ positions (Pitchers vs. Position Players) and first-year status effects (Freshman/Transfer vs. Sophomore/Junior/Seniors). Based on the study’s findings, body mass and lean body mass significantly decreased from the beginning to end of season for the overall team (p= 0.002; 0.026). Position Players exhibited a significant decline in body mass, region percent fat, and fat mass (p=0.00, 0.014, and 0.021, respectively) while Pitchers did not demonstrate any significant changes. First-year players experienced an increase in visceral adipose tissue volume and visceral adipose tissue mass (p= 0.004, 0.004) and Sophomore/Junior/Seniors group experienced a significant decrease in body mass, region % fat, and fat mass from the beginning to end of season (p=0.00, 0.017, and 0.023, respectively). The team on average consumed 6% less than the recommended value for protein, 36% less than recommendation for carbohydrate and 10% above the recommended intake amount was determined for fat. Overall, the team consumed 18% less than their estimated total calorie recommended goal. We believe the study presents interesting findings that may be helpful for collegiate baseball programs, and potentially athletes in similar sports, to improve the performance, development and health of young student athletes.

Background: Given that 43-97% of preterm infants face postnatal growth restriction by hospital discharge, monitoring of growth is challenging but critical for clinical management of preterm infants. Currently, serial anthropometric measurements of weight and height are used to monitor growth but lack sensitivity. Thus, by the time significant deviations in growth trajectory are identified, an infant has already reached sub-optimal growth. A biomarker that is predictive of sub-optimal growth can serve as a preventative tool in clinical decision making. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) may be one such potential metabolic biomarker, as it has been used as a measure of protein adequacy and thus, may additionally indicate quality of growth. While protein intake has a well-established correlation with growth, it is currently unknown if BUN is correlated with postnatal growth and if it can be used as a biomarker for growth. Objectives: 1) to examine the relationship between BUN and macronutrient intake factors such as protein intake, protein-to-energy (P:E) ratios, and carbohydrate to non-protein energy (CHO:NPE %) to better understand BUN response; 2) to examine the potential of using BUN as a predictive metabolic biomarker of growth status in a multiple linear regression. We hypothesize that BUN will positively correlate with protein intake, P:E and negatively with CHO:NPE ratio. It will also be positively correlated with growth parameters: growth velocity, length gain, head circumference gain and fat free mass. Methods: Very low birth weight preterm infants (n=101) born ≤30 weeks of gestation at McMaster Children’s Hospital’s level III NICU were included. BUN was assessed at three time points: baseline (SDay1), study day 14 (SDay14) and study day 21 (SDay21). Intake of protein and energy were collected for the 24-hour period prior to the BUN measure, their averages computed over SDay14 and SDay21 and included as confounding predictor variables. Other confounding variables such as maternal characteristics and baseline study group characteristics were also considered. Growth velocity, length gain and head circumference gain at SDay14 and SDay21, and body composition (FFM%, FFMI) between 36-40 weeks were examined as dependent growth variables. After an initial univariate analysis of baseline and maternal confounders, multiple linear regression models were then developed in a block design as follows: for the analysis of BUN vs macronutrient factors- block 1: 24-hour macronutrient intake factors + relevant baseline and/or maternal confounders; block 2: average macronutrient factors; for the analysis of BUN vs growth- block 3: BUN. Results: In the analysis of BUN and macronutrient intake, BUN was found to have a significant positive correlation with P:E ratio at all time points. Protein intake was positively correlated with BUN only at SDay1 and SDay21. CHO:NPE ratio did not correlated with BUN at any time point. The R2 for the multiple regression of BUN and macronutrient factor analysis at SDay1, SDay14 and SDay21 was 0.19, 0.42 and 0.44 respectively. In the analysis of BUN vs growth, SDay1 BUN had a significant negative correlation with SDay21 growth velocity (p=0.02). The addition of SDay1 BUN to the model of SDay21 growth velocity was significant (p<0.01 of F change statistic, R2= 0.17). SDay21 BUN also had a significant negative correlation with SDay21 growth velocity (p<0.01) and its addition was significant to the model (p<0.01 of F change statistic, R2 =0.22). BUN was not related to SDay 14 growth velocity, or to length gain, head circumference gain or any body composition estimates at any time point. Additionally, P:E was found to be significantly negatively correlated with growth. Conclusion: BUN is a statistically and clinically significant marker of nutritional adequacy, both of protein intake and energy in relation to protein intake. Addition of BUN adds to the explanation of variation in growth, and this is statistically significant, however, the additional variation explained may be too small to be clinically significant. Additionally, we observed that P:E ratio was significantly negatively correlated with growth. Thus, it may be more clinically pertinent to use high BUN values as a marker of inadequate energy to protein intake to prevent future sub-optimal growth. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) disproportionality affects under-represented groups, specifically Asian Americans. Asian Americans are less likely to receive proper diabetes mellitus screening compared to other racial and ethnic groups, potentially due to improper screening guidelines by clinicians, and Asian Americans being unaware of their increased risk for diabetes mellitus. There are differences in the etiology of T2DM in Asian Americans compared to White Americans. Due to the increasing rates of T2DM among Asian Americans, new approaches in the screening of T2DM should be tailored based on race and ethnicity. The aging process is frequently associated with decreased muscle mass and increased adipose tissue, which can contribute to insulin resistance and lead to elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) percentages. Although sex has not been classified as an independent risk factor for T2DM, it is important to consider sex-specific conditions in the context of the disease. Body mass index (BMI) alone is insufficient to properly evaluate adiposity in Asian-American adults due to Asian Americans having a lower BMI with a higher body fat percentage. Waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and visceral adiposity index (VAI) may be better for screening Asian Americans for T2DM. Multiple modifiable risk factors, such as sedentary behavior, and dietary intake (specifically dietary magnesium intake) can increase the risk for T2DM. Lack of physical activity can result in insulin resistance and impaired glucose metabolism as a result of muscle disuse and decreased lean body mass. Half of the Asian-American population is not consuming the recommended amounts of magnesium from foods, drinks, and dietary supplements. There is an inverse relationship between increased dietary magnesium intake and the risk of T2DM. In addition, the main language spoken in the household may influence lifestyle and risk of T2DM. The overarching goal of the present study was to establish which independent variables (age, sex, BMI, waist circumference, WHtR, VAI, sedentary behavior time, dietary magnesium intake, self-reported healthy diet status, and language) were the strongest predictors of HbA1c percentage (a measure of blood glucose control) in Asian-American adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2011 to 2020. The present study also evaluated the relationship among multiple predictors of HbA1c percentage, including age, sex, body composition, sedentary behavior time, dietary magnesium intake, self-reported healthy diet status, and language among Asian-American adults, 18 years of age and older, using the NHANES data from 2011 to 2020. / Doctor of Philosophy / Asian Americans have been disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Asian Americans are less likely to receive proper diabetes mellitus screening. This may be due to inadequate screening guidelines and lack of awareness about their increased risk for diabetes mellitus. The cause of T2DM in Asian Americans differs from that in White Americans, which calls for tailored screening approaches based on race and ethnicity. The aging process is frequently associated with decreased muscle mass and increased adipose tissue, which can contribute to insulin resistance and lead to elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) percentages. Although sex has not been classified as an independent risk factor for T2DM, it is important to consider sex-specific conditions in the context of the disease. Body mass index (BMI) alone is not enough to accurately assess body fat in Asian-American adults, because they tend to have a lower BMI, but higher body fat percentage. Waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and visceral adiposity index (VAI) might be more suitable for screening Asian Americans for T2DM. Several modifiable risk factors, such as a sedentary lifestyle and dietary intake (specifically, dietary magnesium intake), can increase the risk of T2DM. Lack of physical activity can lead to insulin resistance and impaired glucose metabolism due to muscle disuse and reduced lean body mass. Half of the Asian-American population does not consume the recommended amounts of magnesium from food, drinks, and dietary supplements. Researchers have shown that increased dietary magnesium intake is linked to a reduced risk of T2DM. In addition, the main language spoken in the household may influence lifestyle and risk of T2DM. The main goal of this study was to identify which factors (age, sex, BMI, waist circumference, WHtR, VAI, sedentary behavior time, dietary magnesium intake, self-reported healthy diet status, and language) were the strongest predictors of HbA1c percentage (a measure of blood glucose control) in Asian Americans. This was completed using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2011 to 2020. Additionally, the study aimed to establish the relationship among multiple predictors of HbA1c percentage, including age, sex, body composition, sedentary behavior time, dietary magnesium intake, self-reported healthy diet status, and language among Asian-American adults, 18 years of age and older, using the same NHANES data.