Gluttony

Abstract

Sixteen young adult men and women were fed, for periods of 4–8 weeks, diets containing either about 2.8 or 15% of protein calories, and providing an excess of about 1,400 kcal/day above their normal intake. Measurements were made of body weight, activity, urinary output of nitrogen and creatinine, digestibility of the food, basal metabolic rate, total body potassium, subcutaneous fat, and total body water. The mean weight gain of the low-protein groups was 1.1 kg compared with a theoretical figure of 5.0 kg if the excess calories are calculated as being converted to adipose tissue containing 66% fat; for the high-protein groups the mean weight gain was 3.7 kg compared with a theoretical figure of 5.4 kg. Since none of the indices of body composition showed any real change during the experimental period, and since activity was both low and unchanged, it is clear that the excess caloric intake of the subjects was disposed of by an increased heat production. This view is supported by the measurement of oxygen consumption reported in our second paper and has implications in the etiology of obesity.