Now, keep up to date
with daily feeds of newly posted stories
about America's Seniors...click on the box
to the left
Increased Metabolic Rate may lead to
Accelerated Aging
May 4, 2011--Findings from new study may
explain why low-calorie diets are beneficial
for human health.
A recent study accepted for publication in
The Endocrine Society’s Journal
of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found
that higher metabolic rates predict early
natural mortality, indicating that higher
energy turnover may accelerate aging in
humans.
Higher energy turnover is associated with
shorter lifespan in animals, but evidence
for this association in humans is limited.
To investigate whether higher metabolic rate
is associated with aging in humans, this
study examined whether energy expenditure,
measured in a metabolic chamber over 24
hours and during rest predicts natural
mortality.
“We found that higher endogenous metabolic
rate, that is how much energy the body uses
for normal body functions, is a risk factor
for earlier mortality,” said Reiner Jumpertz,
MD, of the National Institute of Diabetes
and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in
Phoenix, Ariz., and lead author of the
study.
“This increased metabolic rate may lead to
earlier organ damage (in effect accelerated
aging) possibly by accumulation of toxic
substances produced with the increase in
energy turnover.”
“It is important to note that these data do
not apply to exercise-related energy
expenditure,” added Jumpertz. “This activity
clearly has beneficial effects on human
health.”
In this study, researchers evaluated 652
non-diabetic healthy Pima Indian volunteers.
Twenty four hour energy expenditure (24EE)
was measured in 508 individuals, resting
metabolic rate (RMR) was measured in 384
individuals and 240 underwent both
measurements on separate days. Data for 24EE
were collected in a respiratory chamber
between 1985 and 2006 with a mean follow-up
time of 11.1 years. RMR was evaluated using
an open-circuit respiratory hood system
between 1982 and 2006 with a mean follow-up
time of 15.4 years.
During the study period, 27 study
participants died of natural causes.
Researchers found that as energy expenditure
increased, there was also an increase in
risk for natural mortality.
“The results of this study may help us
understand some of the underlying mechanisms
of human aging and indicate why reductions
in metabolic rate, for instance via low
calorie diets, appear to be beneficial for
human health,” said Jumpertz.
Other researchers working on the study
include: Robert Hanson, Maurice Sievers,
Peter Bennett, Robert Nelson and Jonathan
Krakoff of the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases,
National Institutes of Health, in Phoenix,
Ariz.
The article, “Higher energy expenditure in
humans predicts natural mortality,” appears
in the June 2011 issue of JCEM.
Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is
the world’s oldest, largest and most active
organization devoted to research on hormones
and the clinical practice of endocrinology.
Today, The Endocrine Society’s membership
consists of over 14,000 scientists,
physicians, educators, nurses and students
in more than 100 countries. Society members
represent all basic, applied and clinical
interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine
Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
To learn more about the Society and the
field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endo-society.org.
... ..
...
...
