Clinical Calorimetry Xxxii

The energetics of childhood: Current knowledge and insights into human variation, evolution, and health

“…In extreme cases, immune activation can more than double adult BMR (Biolo et al, 1997). More generally, infectious illness among adults is associated with a 13% increase in BMR for every 1°C increase in body temperature (Barr et al, 1922; Cooper et al, 1992), while even mild, nonfebrile infection is accompanied by an 8%–14% increase in BMR with an estimated cost of ≈200 kcal/day (Muehlenbein et al, 2010). These costs are even greater for children given immature immune systems (McDade, 2003), such that overt acute infections routinely increase children's BMR by ≈30% or several hundred kcal/d (Garza, 2005).…”

Effect of influenza vaccination on resting metabolic rate and c-reactive protein concentrations in healthy young adults

“…We based the timing of our RMR measurements on when we expected CRP to peak (two days after influenza vaccination) using existing literature, but it is possible that changes in RMR would occur at a different time than changes in CRP. The only two studies that have investigated the effect of vaccination on RMR found that RMR increased much earlier in response to typhoid fever vaccination i.e., 7-16% at six to eight hours after injection [12,13]. These studies stopped evaluating RMR after…”

“…To date, only two studies have examined changes in RMR due to vaccination. Both evaluated responses to typhoid fever vaccination for eight hours immediately following injection and observed elevations in RMR that were mediated by increases in body temperature [12,13]. Because these studies stopped measuring RMR at the eight-hour mark, it is unclear if RMR continued to rise, how long it remained elevated, or if it correlates with circulating concentrations of acute-phase response proteins like c-reactive protein (CRP).…”

“…Such studies have consistently found that after vaccination, CRP concentrations peak in two to three days and approach baseline five to seven days post-vaccination [20][21][22]. Mounting such a response requires energy investment [2,5,[11][12][13]. However, the magnitude of the investment and its impact on metabolism is unknown.…”

Neuro-Hormonal Regulation of Immune and Metabolic Function

“…It has been suggested that mounting an immune response requires resources that could otherwise be allocated to other biological functions (e.g., growth, reproduction). For example, it has been suggested that for every 1°C increase in body temperature due to the induction of fever, there is a concomitant 7-13% increase in oxygen consumption [6]. However, increased energy dedicated to immune responses, although likely adaptive in the short-term for increasing disease resistance, can ultimately come at the cost of decreased fitness, especially if immune activation is prolonged or is excessive.…”