FAT INTAKE AND ADIPOSITY IN 8 TO 11 YEAR-OLD OBESE CHILDREN

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships between diet composition, body composition, and macronutrient oxidation at rest in obese and non -obese children.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study on fat intake, adiposity and postabsorptive macronutrients oxidation rates. SUBJECTS: 82 prepu bertal (age: 9.1 +/- 1.1 y) children, 30 obese (FM = 32.6 +/- 6.1%) an d 52 non-obese (FM = 15.6 +/- 5.1%). MEASUREMENTS : Subcutaneous skinf old thicknesses for body composition, diet history for energy and nutr ient intake, indirect calorimetry for resting metabolic rate (RMR) and RO measurement. RESULTS: Energy intake (El) was comparable in obese a nd non-obese children, Adjusted for RMR by ANCOVA, using RMR as the co variate, EI was significantly lower in obese than in non-obese childre n indicating either a blunted physical activity or a systematic undere stimation of EI. Protein and carbohydrate intakes expressed as a perce ntage of total energy intake (%EI) were not significantly different in the two groups, Lipid intake (%EI) was slightly but significantly hig her in the obese than in the non-obese group either unadjusted or adju sted for RMR by ANCOVA, The postabsorptive RO was significantly lower in obese than in non-obese children. In the total group, %FM was weakl y but significantly correlated to lipid intake (%EI). CONCLUSION: Obes e prepubertal children have a higher relative fat intake than non-obes e children and their FM is associated with this factor. The lower post absorptive RO of obese children may indicate a compensatory mechanism to achieve fat equilibrium by enhanced fat oxidation.