Relationship between Seasonal Changes in Food Intake and Energy Metabolism, Physical Activity, and Body Composition in Young Japanese Women.

Toyoko Okuda,Rie Shimonaka Yamasaki,Naomi Hirano,Manami Ogawa,Hisae Shinohara,Nao Nishioka Nishi,Noriko Tanaka,Jangmi Kang

doi:10.3390/nu14030506

Abstract

We investigated seasonal changes in food intake, energy metabolism, and physical activity (PA) and explored their associations with body composition. In total, 28 women aged 20–23 years in the Kansai area of Japan participated in this year-long study spanning the winter, spring, and summer seasons. A dietary investigation was performed using the weight recording method, and the amount of histidine in the diet, which may be related to the regulation of energy intake, was calculated. Resting metabolic rate (RMR), body composition, and PA were measured using indirect calorimetry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and uniaxial accelerometry, respectively. The results showed that energy intake was highest in winter, decreased significantly with increasing temperature, and decreased by 25% in summer. As the intake of histidine in the diet did not increase in summer, it did not seem to be involved in the suppression of energy intake. RMR was highest in winter and decreased significantly in summer by 20%. The amount of PA was low in winter, increased significantly in the spring, and decreased again in summer. Body weight increased in winter, with an accumulation of fat in the trunk and arms, and decreased in summer, with a reduction in the amount of fat. Greater energy intake and less PA in winter induced an increment in body weight despite the increase in RMR. There were no significant changes in lean body mass between the seasons; however, the muscle weight of the lower limbs increased significantly in spring and in summer compared with that in winter (p < 0.001). Thus, seasonal changes in food intake, energy metabolism, and PA occur, with resultant changes in the body composition under comfortable air-conditioned environments.

Highlights

Food intake has long been known to be associated with climate, and spontaneous intake is low in areas with high environmental temperatures, such as deserts, but high in low-temperature areas, such as the poles [1]
Among the participants, 3 (10.7%) were thin with a body mass index (BMI) < 18.5, 0 (0%) were overweight with a BMI ≥ 25, and 25 (89.3%) had BMI within normal ranges, demonstrating that many had physiques within normal ranges compared to the national average data of women in their 20s
The measured Resting metabolic rate (RMR) was highest in winter and decreased in the spring and summer, in summer, with a significant decrease of about 20% compared to that in winter (Table 4)

Summary

Introduction

Food intake has long been known to be associated with climate, and spontaneous intake is low in areas with high environmental temperatures, such as deserts, but high in low-temperature areas, such as the poles [1]. Sakata et al studied the physiological mechanism of suppression of food intake as an adaptive behavior Using rats, they found that under a high-temperature environment of 31 ◦C, neuronal histamine synthesis in the hypothalamus increased, the satiety center was stimulated, and food intake decreased [4,5]. A histidine decarboxylase inhibitor (FMH: α-fluoromethylhistidine), which inhibits neuronal histamine synthesis, was injected into the third cerebroventricle and the decrease in food intake was inhibited [4,6]. There have been few studies on histidine levels obtained from the diet and the histamine-associated suppression of food intake in humans [8,9]. It is important to investigate the relationship between food intake and histidine in humans, as dietary surveys using dietary records report that most nutrients are obtained in winter more than in summer [10,11]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion