Consumo alimentar e gasto energético em adolescentes obesos e eutróficos Food consumption and energy expenditure in obese and non-obese adolescents

OBJETIVO: Comparar, entre adolescentes obesos e eutróficos, variáveis relacionadas ao consumo alimentar e ao gasto energético. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 23 adolescentes recrutados em escolas e centros de recreação de São Paulo (SP), distribuídos em dois grupos: 11 obesos e 12 eutróficos. Foram avaliados: peso corporal, estatura, índice de massa corporal, circunferência da cintura, massa magra e massa gorda (estimados por bioimpedância elétrica), três recordatórios alimentares de 24 horas, estimativa do gasto energético diário a partir de três métodos (recordatórios de atividade física, fórmulas preditivas e calorimetria indireta), gasto energético de repouso e a potência aeróbia. RESULTADOS: O gasto energético diário dos obesos foi maior, porém a ingestão alimentar se assemelhou à dos eutróficos. Não foram encontradas diferenças no gasto energético de repouso entre os grupos, porém a potência aeróbia foi maior nos eutróficos. A dieta de ambos os grupos não foi considerada saudável, mas os obesos apresentaram menor consumo de vários alimentos considerados saudáveis, como hortaliças. Observou-se discrepância na análise do gasto energético diário, quando se adotaram diferentes métodos. CONCLUSÕES: Os adolescentes apresentaram padrão alimentar associado ao risco de obesidade e doenças crônicas. Mais estudos são necessários para identificar melhores métodos para avaliar seu gasto energético. É urgente a busca de estratégias de educação nutricional específicas para esse grupo etário.<br>OBJECTIVE: To compare food consumption and energy expenditure between obese and non-obese adolescents. METHODS: This cross-sectional study comprised 23 adolescents recruited from schools and recreation centers from São Paulo (SP), Brazil, distributed in two groups: 11 obese and 12 non-obese. The following variables were analyzed: body weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, fat and lean mass (estimated from bioelectrical impedance), three days' 24-hour food recall, daily energy expenditure from three different methods (three days' physical activity recall, predictive equations and indirect calorimetry), resting energy expenditure and aerobic power test. RESULTS: Daily energy expenditure was higher in the obese group, but food ingestion presented no difference between groups. There was no difference in resting energy expenditure between obese and non-obese groups and aerobic power was higher in non-obese group. Neither obese nor non-obese adolescents presented adequate feeding behavior; however, the obese group presented lower consumption of healthy foods like vegetables. There was disagreement among different methods of analysis of daily energy expenditure. CONCLUSIONS: All adolescents presented feeding behaviors related to risk for chronic diseases. New studies are necessary to identify the best way to analyze energy expenditure. Nutritional education strategies directed towards adolescents are needed

Protists are microbes too: A perspective

Our understanding of the composition and activities of microbial communities from diverse habitats on our planet has improved enormously during the past decade, spurred on largely by advances in molecular biology. Much of this research has focused on the bacteria, and to a lesser extent on the archaea and viruses, because of the relative ease with which these assemblages can be analyzed and studied genetically. In contrast, single-celled, eukaryotic microbes (the protists) have received much less attention, to the point where one might question if they have somehow been demoted from the position of environmentally important taxa. In this paper, we draw attention to this situation and explore several possible (some admittedly lighthearted) explanations for why these remarkable and diverse microbes have remained largely overlooked in the present era of the microbe. © 2009 International Society for Microbial Ecology All rights reserved