BASAL METABOLISM OF CHILDREN OF ABNORMAL BODY WEIGHT

Abstract

During the past three years we have studied the basal metabolism of children referred to our clinic for various reasons. During this time, we have accumulated considerable information about overweight and underweight children. In the present paper we are reporting the data obtained in seventy overweight children. Obesity has been classified as follows: Exogenous obesity due to: Overfeeding ("Mast fettsucht" of von Noorden¹). Laziness ("Faulheitsfettsucht" of von Noorden). A combination of the two. Endogenous obesity: A frank glandular etiology, such as myxedema due to hypothyroidism, obesity following castration, and adiposogenital dystrophy. Constitutional obesity due not to overeating or underexercising or frank glandular disease, but caused by a constitutional tendency to obesity, which does not, of course, explain the condition. In the endogenous obesity of frank glandular etiology, there is usually a lowered basal metabolic rate. In the other types of obesity, Du Bois² believes, the literature on this subject