Endocrine and Metabolic Adaptation to Obesity and Starvation

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Abstract
Several of the endocrine and metabolic changes that occur in spontaneous obesity have been reviewed and compared to the findings in a study of experimental obesity in man in progress at the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Prison. With few exceptions, the production of a 15–30% gain in weight by increased calorie intake in lean volunteers resulted in endocrine-metabolic changes similar to those observed in spontaneous obesity, as illustrated diagrammatically in Table I. This suggests that many of these changes may be the result rather than the cause of the obesity. It does not preclude the possibility, however, that primary abnormalities of metabolic regulation may result in spontaneous obesity, which in turn produces these secondary changes. The metabolic changes observed in spontaneous and experimental obesity have been contrasted to those observed in prolonged fasting and in starvation. The significance of these changes in the adaptation of man to an overabundance or a deficiency of food are discussed.