PreventDisease.com - Metabolism Studied as Obesity Risk in Black Children



		Metabolism Studied as Obesity Risk in Black Children NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The obesity epidemic in the US has hit black Americans particularly hard, and experts point to both environmental and genetic factors as the culprits. Now new research shows that during puberty, black children may have a slower metabolism than white children do. But whether the metabolic difference is significant enough to translate into weight differences is unclear. Moreover, metabolism cannot explain the current obesity rates in the US, according to Dr. Michael J. Goran, who led the new study. Over the 1990s, the rate of obesity among Americans shot up by nearly 60%. In 1999, about 18% of white adults and 27% of black adults were obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ``The impetus for this study is that we've been trying to understand why African Americans are at more risk for obesity,'' Goran, of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, told Reuters Health. ``One hypothesis has been they have a slower metabolism. I'm pretty convinced against that.'' Goran and his colleagues did find a metabolic difference between the 92 white children and 64 African-American children they studied for up to 4 years. During puberty, black children showed a slower resting metabolism, meaning they burned fewer calories while at rest. Other research in adults has garnered similar results. But there has been no evidence that the metabolic differences translate into pounds in the real world, according to Goran. He believes the differences reflect varying energy needs and body composition among ethnicities and are probably insignificant when it comes to weight control. Still, Goran conceded, ``others may disagree with me.'' The National Institutes of Health will soon weigh in on the issue, according to Dr. Jack A. Yanovski of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland. Yanovski authored an editorial accompanying the report. He told Reuters Health that his group is looking into the significance of resting metabolism in predicting obesity. Research among Pima Native Americans, he noted, has suggested that relatively low resting metabolism is linked to significant weight gain. However, Yanovski stressed, what is ``certainly clear'' is that diet and exercise do regulate weight. So, he said, children, teens and adults should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day. SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001;73:149-150, 308-315. Reference Source 89 For more information on how to prevent obesity or diabetes, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".