Changes in resting energy expenditure and their relationship to insulin resistance and weight gain: A longitudinal study in pre-pubertal children (EarlyBird 17)

SummaryBackground & aimsIn adults, adjustments in resting energy expenditure (REE) are used to defend energy balance against disturbance caused by over-and under-nutrition, and may be linked to changes in insulin resistance and leptin. Little is known of these associations in children. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that long-term weight gain in children is met with adaptive changes in resting energy expenditure, mediated by insulin resistance and/or leptin.MethodsREE by indirect calorimetry, anthropometry, body composition by DEXA, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and serum leptin were measured annually in 232 children from the age of 7–10 y.ResultsREE rose from 7 to 10 y, and the rise exceeded that predicted by the concurrent rise in fat and fat-free mass by 184 kcal/day in the boys and by 160 kcal/day in the girls. However, there were no significant relationships in either gender between this ‘excess’ rise in REE and change in body composition (r ≤ 0.08, p ≥ 0.42). The rise in both boys and girls was associated with, but not explained by, a rise in insulin resistance (p ≤ 0.002). There was no association with serum leptin (p ≥ 0.32).ConclusionsThe data do not support the hypothesis of adaptive changes in REE in pre-pubertal children, and insulin resistance explains very little of the pre-pubertal rise in REE. The rise in REE beyond that explained by changes in body composition may reflect an increase in energy requirements prior to puberty.