Energy Metabolism in Relation to Diet and Physical Activity: A South Asian Perspective.

Siti N Wulan,Itrat Fatima,Guy Plasqui,Qaisar Raza,Erryana Martati,Uma Mageshwari,Jaya M Maligan,Hera S Prasmita

doi:10.3390/nu13113776

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is on the rise around the world, not only in the West, but also in Asian countries. South Asian countries in particular are experiencing a rapid increase in overweight and obesity, that coexists with the rapid increase in non-communicable diseases linked to obesity such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease than any other country in Asia. The phenomena observed in South Asian countries are due to the size of the population, the ageing of the population, the high degree of urbanization and the lifestyle changes in favor of increased energy consumption and reduced physical activity. The imbalance between energy consumption and energy expenditure results in the development of a positive energy balance that, over time, accumulates in higher body fat. South Asians were reported to have a more unfavorable body composition with a higher percentage of body fat than Caucasians with an equivalent BMI. Body composition is a major determinant of resting energy expenditure. It has been reported that South Asians have a lower resting energy expenditure than Caucasians with the same BMI. Resting energy expenditure accounts for the majority of total daily energy expenditure and, therefore, plays a crucial role in achieving the balance between energy intake and expenditure.

Highlights

The sum of the truncal skinfolds in South Asian men was higher and was associated with a lower rate of glucose disposal [41] and a higher incidence of diabetes in women, but not in men [42]. Simple anthropometric indices such as waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), and skinfold thickness are useful measures to assess the risk of metabolic disease related to obesity in large population studies focusing on South Asians
Mitochondria, as the main organelle involved in energy metabolism, had a higher oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) capacity in diabetic and non-diabetic South Asian Indians compared to Caucasians with the same BMI [25]
Our study showed that when South Asian and Caucasian men were overfed with a high-fat diet under sedentary conditions, an extremely positive energy balance was created and glycogen stores were relatively conserved because physical activity was low [97]