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Accelerated aging linked to increased metabolic rate
Jumpertz R. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;doi:10.1210/jc.2010-2944.
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People with a higher metabolic rate may be more susceptible to accelerated aging and earlier natural mortality, recent data suggest.
“Higher energy turnover is associated with shorter lifespan in animals, but evidence for this association in humans is limited,” Reiner Jumpertz, MD, and colleagues from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, wrote in a press release. “The physiological underpinnings of the theory that lifespan is determined by a rate of living, however, are not clear.”
To explore this theory, the researchers analyzed data from 652 healthy Pima Indian adults who were also participating in a longitudinal study of obesity and diabetes risk factors. Participants were admitted to an inpatient facility for approximately 7 days and were followed as outpatients for about 11 years. Overall, 24-hour energy expenditure was measured in 508 participants (study group 1), resting metabolic rate was measured in 384 participants (study group 2), and both were measured in 240 participants.
Twenty-seven natural deaths occurred in each study group, with most attributable to alcohol-related causes. After adjustment for age, sex and body weight, the risk for natural mortality increased by 1.29 with every 100-kcal/24-hour elevation in energy expenditure in study group 1. Risk also rose by 1.25 with every 100-kcal/24-hour elevation in energy expenditure in study group 2. No link was found between sleep energy expenditure and natural mortality, and the researchers reported no relationship between any of the measurements and all-cause mortality.
“We found that higher endogenous metabolic rate … is a risk factor for earlier mortality,” Jumpertz said. “This increased metabolic rate may lead to earlier organ damage (in effect accelerated aging) possibly by accumulation of toxic substances produced with the increase in energy turnover.”
Jumpertz said the study data do not apply to exercise-related energy expenditure, which exerts beneficial effects on health, but may provide helpful information regarding diet.
“The results of this study may help us understand some of the underlying mechanisms of human aging and indicate why reductions in metabolic rate, for instance via low calorie diets, appear to be beneficial for human health,” he said.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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