• E C Rush, L D Plank, and W A Coward.
• Department of Applied Science, Auckland Institute of Technology, New Zealand. elaine.rush@ait.ac.nz
• Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1999 Jan 1; 69 (1): 43-8.

BackgroundReduced energy expenditure and excessive energy intake have been hypothesized to cause obesity. New Zealanders of Polynesian origin have a higher prevalence of obesity than do those of European origin.ObjectiveWe investigated relations between components of energy expenditure and body composition.DesignWe measured total energy expenditure (TEE) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) in 80 young women [40 New Zealand (NZ) Polynesian and 40 NZ European] aged 18-27 y by the doubly labeled water method and indirect calorimetry, respectively. Each group was partitioned into nonobese and obese on the basis of percentage body fat.ResultsTEE and body weight were highly correlated in nonobese NZ Europeans (n = 23, r = 0.76, P < 0.001), obese NZ Europeans (r = 0.58, P = 0.016), and nonobese NZ Polynesians (n = 25, r = 0.59, P = 0.002) but not in obese NZ Polynesians (r = 0.11, P = 0.70). Activity energy expenditure (AEE = TEE - RMR) was similar in obese Polynesians and Europeans (mean+/-SD: 5.5+/-2.2 and 5.2+/-1.9 MJ/d, respectively), but significantly higher in nonobese Polynesians (5.7+/-2.5 MJ/d) than in their European counterparts (3.8+/-1.9 MJ/d, P = 0.005). Similar trends were seen when AEE adjusted for body weight and TEE/RMR were compared among the subgroups. Body weight and RMR together accounted for 66% of the variation in TEE for the European group but only 17% for the Polynesian group.ConclusionCare should be taken in applying "Caucasian norms" relating to energy expenditure to NZ Polynesian people.

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