DAILY VARIATIONS IN CATECHOLAMINE EXCRETION ARE NOT INFLUENCED BY VERY-LOW-CALORIE DIET IN OBESE WOMEN

The increase in metabolic efficiency during energy restriction seems t o be an established phenomenon in obese patients. The sympathoadrenal system is involved in the control of energy expenditure and the catech olamine responses to stimuli vary during the day. We therefore studied the circadian pattern of urinary catecholamine excretion during 4-h c ollections for two consecutive days in a group of 20 obese female pati ents during and after a very low calorie diet (500 kcal/die). The diet period induced a significant weight loss in all the patients studied (99.1+/-3.7 vs 92.5+/-4.1 Kg; p<0.01). The mean daily excretion of epi nephrine did not change after 24 days of diet restriction when compare d with the value obtained at the 4th day (12.0+/-2.5 vs 10.3+/-2.2 nmo l/4 h respectively; p=NS) while a slight decrease was observed in the mean daily excretion of norepinephrine (52.5+/-8.7 vs 66.6+/-9.3 nmol/ 4 h respectively; p=NS). A circadian rhythm was detected for epinephri ne and norepinephrine excretion both during and after very low calorie diet. No significant changes were found in the chronobiological chara cteristics of epinephrine and norepinephrine with the peak of excretio n in the afternoon both during (epinephrine: 16:30 h; norepinephrine: 16:45 h) and after the diet (epinephrine: 17:35 h; norepinephrine: 18: 00 h). It seems doubtful that alterations in the chronobiological patt ern of catecholamines play a role in the metabolic adaptation occurrin g during very low calorie diet in obese females.