Gender and energy balance: Sex differences in adaptations for feast and famine

Hoyenga, Katharine Blick; Hoyenga, Kermit T.

doi:10.1016/0031-9384(82)90153-6

Cited by 118 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 167 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Hence, females evolved mechanisms to exploit their energy resources more efficiently to facilitate their own and their progeny's survival (29). These mechanisms may involve a reduction in heat production as we have shown in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Caloric restriction (CR) is a frequent condition in nature; hence, throughout evolution, organisms have evolved mechanisms to respond and adapt to energy restriction. Several studies have reported that CR and starvation have a consistently greater effect on physical growth in males than in females (10,23,25,26,29,63,64). Furthermore, important sex-associated differences have been found in the response of white adipose mass to CR.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sex-related differences in energy balance in response to caloric restriction

Valle

Català-Niell

Colom

et al. 2005

American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

related differences in energy balance were studied in young Wistar rats fed standard chow pellets either ad libitum or in restricted amounts (60% of ad libitum intake) for 100 days. Caloric intake, indirect calorimetry, organ and adipose tissue weights, energy efficiency, liver mitochondrial respiration rate, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) content were measured. Ad libitum-fed females showed greater oxygen consumption (V O2) and carbon dioxide production (V CO2) and lower energy efficiency than males. Caloric restriction induced a chronic drop of V O2 and V CO2 in females but not in males over the period studied. Restricted females showed a better conservation of metabolic active organ mass and a greater decrease in adipose depots than restricted males. Moreover, changes of BAT size and UCP1 content suggest that BAT may be the main cause responsible for sex differences in the response of energy balance to caloric restriction. In conclusion, our results indicate that females under caloric restriction conditions deactivate facultative thermogenesis to a greater degree than males. This ability may have obvious advantages for female survival and therefore the survival of the species when food is limiting. brown adipose tissue; sexual dimorphism; uncoupling protein-1; oxygen consumption ENERGY BALANCE DEPENDS ON THE MECHANISMS that regulate and coordinate food intake and the different components of energy expenditure, including basal metabolism, physical activity, and heat production. When food is in short supply, caloric intake is lower than energy expenditure, resulting in a negative energy balance (25). Caloric restriction (CR) is a frequent condition in nature; hence, throughout evolution, organisms have evolved mechanisms to respond and adapt to energy restriction. Several studies have reported that CR and starvation have a consistently greater effect on physical growth in males than in females (10,23,25,26,29,63,64). Furthermore, important sex-associated differences have been found in the response of white adipose mass to CR. These studies suggest that females use energy stored as fat to a greater extent than males (26, 44). However, the loss of lean body mass cannot wholly explain the energy conservation seen when female rats are subjected to CR (26).Restriction of physical activity could be another strategy to improve energy efficiency. Nevertheless, CR rats are as active as ad libitum-fed rats, indicating that they are not economizing their energy by restricting their activity (16,24,38,43).Another possibility to explain changes in energy efficiency related to sex implies differences in heat production. In rodents, nonshivering thermogenesis takes place mainly in brown adipose tissue (BAT), where thermogenesis activity depends on uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1), an inner-membrane mitochondrial protein expressed characteristically in this tissue, the function of which is to dissipate, as heat, the proton gradient energy generated by the respiratory chain (7, 48). These particular energ...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-related differences in energy balance in response to caloric restriction

Valle

Català-Niell

Colom

et al. 2005

American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This implies a higher efficiency of energy utilization and conservation of females compared to males. This seems reasonable considering the main evolutionary responsibility of females for reproduction (Cortright and Koves, 2000;Hoyenga and Hoyenga, 1982) and the necessity to maintain adequate energy stores throughout gestation and suckling period. It was suggested that this higher efficiency is a result of higher selection pressures on females during evolutional development (Cortright and Koves, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender dimorphism of body mass perception and regulation in mice

Wiedmer

Boschmann

Schimrigk

2004

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY According to the set-point theory of body mass, changes in body mass are perceived by the body, leading to activation of compensatory feedback mechanisms, which in turn restores the set-point body mass. However, this theory is still under debate. To test if mass per se might be sensed and regulated, we implanted loads corresponding to 10% (HI) or 2% (LO,control) of body mass into mice in addition to sham-operated mice (SO). We recorded body mass, food intake, energy expenditure and body composition over 14 weeks. Both male and female mice showed an initial stress-induced loss of body mass, which was more pronounced in males. Subsequently, male HI mice displayed a permanently decreased biological body mass(MBB, body mass exclusive of the implant mass), equivalent to approximately half of the mass of the implant, and obtained by a decrease in fat mass compared to SO males. In contrast, female HI mice rapidly recovered and maintained their initial MBB and body composition following a mass load. Initial lean body mass was maintained in all male and female groups, and energy intake was similar in all male and female groups. Body mass changes could not be explained by measurable changes in energy intake or expenditure. We conclude that changes in body mass are perceived and partially compensated in male but not in female mice, suggesting that mass-specific regulation of body mass might not play a major role in overall body mass regulation. Different compartments of the body are possibly regulated by different signals and stimuli. Our results suggest that lean body mass rather than body mass per se seems to be tightly regulated. Higher efficiency of energy utilization in females compared to males could explain the gender-specific changes in energy balance.

show abstract

“…The need to postpone reproduction until more energy-favorable periods seems to be the selective pressure responsible for the development of these anti-aging mechanisms (21). However, some authors have argued that because of their higher relative importance for reproduction and the survival of the species, females have been subjected to more severe selection pressures to be more resistant to CR than males (19,51). In fact, several studies on rodents have shown that CR has a greater and more permanent effect on physical growth in male than in female rats (8,18).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in liver mitochondrial oxidative capacity is conserved under caloric restriction conditions

Valle¹,

Guevara²,

García-Palmer³

et al. 2007

American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Valle A, Guevara R, García-Palmer FJ, Roca P, Oliver J. Sexual dimorphism in liver mitochondrial oxidative capacity is conserved under caloric restriction conditions. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 293: C1302-C1308, 2007. First published July 25, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00203.2007.-Caloric restriction (CR) without malnutrition has been shown to increase maximal life span and delay the rate of aging in a wide range of species. It has been proposed that reduction in energy expenditure and oxidative damage may explain the life-extending effect of CR. Sex-related differences also have been shown to influence longevity and energy expenditure in many mammalian species. The aim of the present study was to determine the sex-related differences in rat liver mitochondrial machinery, bioenergetics, and oxidative balance in response to short-term CR. Mitochondria were isolated from 6-mo-old male and female Wistar rats fed ad libitum or subjected to 40% CR for 3 mo. Mitochondrial O 2 consumption, activities of the oxidative phosphorylation system (complexes I, III, IV, and V), antioxidative activities [MnSOD, glutathione peroxidase (GPx)], mitochondrial DNA and protein content, mitochondrial H 2O2 production, and markers of oxidative damage, as well as cytochrome C oxidase and mitochondrial transcription factor A levels, were measured. Female rats showed a higher oxidative capacity and GPx activity than males. This sexual dimorphism was not modified by CR. Restricted rats showed slightly increased oxygen consumption, complex III activity, and GPx antioxidant activity together with lower levels of oxidative damage. In conclusion, the sexual dimorphism in liver mitochondrial oxidative capacity was unaffected by CR, with females showing higher mitochondrial functionality and ROS protection than males.

show abstract

Gender and energy balance: Sex differences in adaptations for feast and famine

Cited by 118 publications

References 167 publications

Sex-related differences in energy balance in response to caloric restriction

Sex-related differences in energy balance in response to caloric restriction

Gender dimorphism of body mass perception and regulation in mice

Sexual dimorphism in liver mitochondrial oxidative capacity is conserved under caloric restriction conditions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About