Human Energy Compensation and Obesity

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.016

Commentary

It is very important to understand how activity affects energy balance. It has been said that increased activity levels can lead to diminishing returns in energy expenditure due to compensatory responses of inactive energy expenditure.

This implies that a long-term increase in activity does not directly lead to an increase in total energy expenditure (TEE). This is because other components of TEE may decrease in response.

Using the largest dataset of TEE in adults and basal energy expenditure (BEE) in people living a normal life (n = 1,754), we found that the average energy compensation by a typical human due to a decrease in BEE is 28%.

This implies that only 72% of the extra calories consumed from additional activities are converted into extra calories consumed during the day.

Furthermore, the degree of energy compensation varies considerably among people with different body compositions, and we have to consider that individual differences in compensation and obesity are responsible for this associated reward.

This means that those who pay more compensation are more likely to accumulate body fat, and this process can occur within an individual.

As one gains weight, the body compensates more strongly for the calories consumed during activity, which may make it more difficult to lose fat gradually.