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Assessment of fat depots for several goat body parts is an expensive and time-consuming task requiring a trained technician. Therefore, the establishment of models to predict fat depots based on data requiring simpler and easier procedures, such as ultrasound measurements, that could be carried out in vivo, would be a major advantage. An interesting alternative to the use of multiple linear regression models is the use of partial least squares or artificial neural network models because they allow the establishment of one model to simultaneously predict different fat depots of interest. In this work, the applicability of these models to simultaneously predict 7 goat fat depots (subcutaneous fat, intermuscular fat, total carcass fat, omental fat, kidney and pelvic fat, mesenteric fat, and total body fat) was investigated. Although satisfactory correlation and prediction results were obtained using the multiple partial least squares model (cross-verification and validation [R.sup.2] and standard prediction error values between 0.66 and 0.98 and 247 and 2,168, respectively), the best global correlation and prediction performances were achieved with the multiple radial basis function artificial neural network (verification and validation [R.sup.2] and standard prediction error values between 0.82 and 0.96 and 304 and 1,707, respectively). These 2 multiple models allowed correlating and predicting simultaneously the 7 goat fat depots based on the goat BW and on only 2 ultrasonic measures (lumbar subcutaneous fat between fifth and sixth vertebrae and the fat depth at the third sternebra). Moreover, both multiple models showed better results compared with those obtained with multiple linear regression models proposed in previous work. Key words: artificial neural network, carcass fat composition prediction, goat, partial least squares, ultrasound technology doi: 10.2527/jas.2009-2195

Background/Objectives: To compare body fat mass at the same stage of pubertal maturation, genital stage 2 (G2), in a Spanish and in a Mexican sample of boys. Subjects/Methods: Data from Spain (n=177) were from a previous longitudinal clinical follow-up and data from Mexico (n=91) from a cross-sectional study. Subjects were grouped according to the presence of G2 at similar ages. Spanish sample was divided into boys with G2 at age 12 (n=60), 13 (n=74) and 14 (n=43). In Mexican sample, 23 boys were at G2 at 12 years, 38 at age 13 and 30 at 14 years. Height, weight, upper arm circumference and four skinfold thicknesses were recorded. Genital development was assessed (Tanner scale). Sum of four skinfolds (SUM), body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat (%BF) and extremity/trunk skinfold ratio (ETR=(triceps +biceps)/(subscapular + suprailiac)) was calculated. Results: When comparing subjects with different ages at G2 from the same country, or with the same age at G2 from different countries, no significant differences were found in adiposity variables (%BF, SUM), nor in BMI. Nevertheless, there were differences in body fat distribution: ETR was higher in Spanish boys (P Conclusions: There is a subcutaneous fat mass store characteristic of G2 in boys, which is not only independent of age, but is also observable in two different populations. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2008.37; published online 18 June 2008 Keywords: body fat mass; fat distribution; boys' puberty; interethnic comparison., Introduction The hypothesis that a determined body weight and a certain amount of body fat mass in girls must be attained before the onset of puberty (Frisch, 1990) was already [...]

Few studies have examined whether the duration of breast-feeding is associated with BMI in adult life. In the past, the heights and weights of infants and the duration of breast-feeding were routinely recorded at infant welfare clinics in Helsinki, Finland. Most infants in the city were taken to these free clinics. The Helsinki Birth Cohort comprises 13,345 people born in the city during 1934-1944; 84% were breast-fed. In 2001, a questionnaire was sent to members of the cohort asking about their weight and height. A random sample of 2003 men and women attended a clinic at which height, weight, and body composition were measured. We studied sibships that included 2 or more people from the cohort. There were 1823 subjects: 831 had completed the questionnaire; 129 had attended the clinic. We grouped the subjects according to duration of breast-feeding: 0-2 mo, 3-4 mo, 5-7 mo, and 8 mo or more. We compared siblings who were discordant for duration of breast-feeding. We found that a longer period of breast-feeding was associated with lower BMI at 1 y of age (P = 0.04 for a linear trend). This relation disappeared by the age of 7 y. People breast-fed for 5-7 mo had the lowest reported BMI at age 60 y, although this was not statistically significant; 8.8% more people breast-fed for 8 mo or more had reported BMIs that were overweight (25 to 30 kg/[m.sup.2]) compared with those breast-fed for shorter periods (P = 0.06). Breast-feeding for

Involvement of sympathetic nervous system and natriuretic peptides in the control of exercise-induced lipid mobilization was compared in overweight and lean men. Lipid mobilization was determined using local microdialysis during exercise. Subjects performed 35-min exercise bouts at 60% of their maximal oxygen consumption under placebo or after oral tertatolol [a [beta]-adrenergic receptor (AR) antagonist]. Under placebo, exercise increased dialysate glycerol concentration (DGC) in both groups. Phentolamine ([alpha]-AR antagonist) potentiated exercise-induced lipolysis in overweight but not in lean subjects; the [[alpha].sub.2]-antilipolytic effect was only functional in overweight men. After tertatolol administration, the DGC increased similarly during exercise no matter which was used probe in both groups. Compared with the control probe under placebo, lipolysis was reduced in lean but not in overweight men treated with the [beta]-AR blocker. Tertatolol reduced plasma nonesterified fatty acids and insulin concentration in both groups at rest. Under placebo or tertatolol, the exercise-induced changes in plasma nonesterified fatty acids, glycerol, and insulin concentrations were similar in both groups. Exercise promoted a higher increase in catecholamine and ANP plasma levels after tertatolol administration. In conclusion, the major finding of our study is that in overweight men, in addition to an increased [[alpha].sub.2]-antilipolytic effect, the lipid mobilization in subcutaneous adipose tissue that persists during exercise under [beta]-blockade is not dependent on catecholamine action. On the basis of correlation findings, it seems to be related to a concomitant exercise-induced rise in plasma ANP when exercise is performed under tertatolol intake and a decrease in plasma insulin. microdialysis; tertatolol; atrial natriuretic peptide; insulin

To investigate the role of JNK1 in metabolism, male ob/ob and diet-induced obese mice were treated with a JNK 1-specific antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) or control ASO at 25 mg/kg or saline twice/wk for 6 and 7 wk, respectively. JNK1 ASO reduced JNK1 mRNA and activity by 65-95% in liver and fat tissues in both models. Compared with controls, treatment with JNK1 ASO did not change food intake but lowered body weight, fat pad weight, and whole body fat content. The treatment increased metabolic rate. In addition, the treatment markedly reduced plasma cholesterol levels and improved liver steatosis and insulin sensitivity. These positive observations were accompanied by the following changes: 1) increased mRNA levels of AR-[beta]3 and UCP1 by >60% in BAT, 2) reduced mRNA levels of ACC1, ACC2, FAS, SCD1, DGAT1, DGAT2, and RBP4 by 30-60% in WAT, and 3) reduced mRNA levels of ACC1, FAS, G-6-Pase, and PKC[epsilon] by 40-70% and increased levels of UCP2 and PPAR[alpha] by more than twofold in liver. JNK1 ASO-treated mice demonstrated reduced levels of pIRS-1 [Ser.sup.302] and pIRS-1 [Ser.sup.302] and increased levels of pAkt [Ser.sup.473] in liver and fat in response to insulin. JNK1 ASO-transfected mouse hepatocytes showed decreased rates of de novo sterol and fatty acid synthesis and an increased rate of fatty acid oxidation. These results indicate that inhibition of JNK1 expression in major peripheral tissues can improve adiposity via increasing fuel combustion and decreasing lipogenesis and could therefore provide clinical benefit for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic abnormalities. insulin sensitivity; metabolic rate; gene expression; antisense

Small LDL and HDL particle size are characteristic of a proatherogenic lipoprotein profile. Aerobic exercise increases these particle sizes. Although visceral adipose tissue (VAT) has been strongly linked with dyslipidemia, the importance of intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) to dyslipidemia and exercise responses is less well understood. We measured exercise-associated changes in thigh IMAT and VAT and examined their relationships with changes in LDL and HDL particle size. Sedentary, dyslipidemic, overweight subjects (n = 73) completed 8-9 mo of aerobic training. Linear regression models were used to compare the power of IMAT change and VAT change to predict lipoprotein size changes. In men alone (n = 40), IMAT change correlated inversely with both HDL size change (r = -0.42, P = 0.007) and LDL size change (r = -0.52, P < 0.001). That is, reduction of IMAT was associated with a shift toward larger, less atherogenic lipoprotein particles. No significant correlations were observed in women. After adding VAT change to the model, IMAT change was the only significant predictor of either HDL size change (P = 0.034 for IMAT vs. 0.162 for VAT) or LDL size change (P = 0.004 for IMAT vs. 0.189 for VAT) in men. In conclusion, in overweight dyslipidemic men, exercise-associated change in thigh IMAT was inversely correlated with both HDL and LDL size change and was more predictive of these lipoprotein changes than was change in VAT. Reducing IMAT through aerobic exercise may be functionally related to some improvements in atherogenic dyslipidemia in men. aerobic training; visceral fat; adipose tissue; high-density lipoprotein size; low-density lipoprotein size

Obesity and elevated cytokine secretion result in a chronic inflammatory state and may cause the insulin resistance observed in type 2 diabetes. Recent studies suggest a key role for endoplasmic reticulum stress in hepatocytes and adipocytes from obese mice, resulting in reduced insulin sensitivity. To address the hypothesis that thiazolidinediones, which improve peripheral insulin sensitivity, act in part by reducing the endoplasmic reticulum stress response, we tested subcutaneous adipose tissue from 20 obese volunteers treated with pioglitazone for 10 wk. We also experimentally induced endopiasmic reticulum stress using palmitate, tunicamycin, and thapsigargin in the human HepG2 liver cell line with or without pioglitazone pretreatment. We quantified endoplasmic reticulum stress response by measuring both gene expression and phosphorylation. Pioglitazone significantly improved insulin sensitivity in human volunteers (P = 0.002) but did not alter markers of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Differences in pre-and posttreatment endoplasmic reticulum stress levels were not correlated with changes in insulin sensitivity or body mass index. In vitro, palmitate, thapsigargin, and tunicamycin but not oleate induced endoplasmic reticulum stress in HepG2 cells, including increased transcripts CHOP, ERN1, GADD34, and PERK, and increased XBPI splicing along with phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor elF2[alpha], JNK1, and c-jun. Although patterns of endoplasmic reticulum stress response differed among palmitate, tunicamycin, and thapsigargin, pioglitazone pretreatment had no significant effect on any measure of endoplasmic reticulum stress, regardless of the inducer. Together, our data suggest that improved insulin sensitivity with pioglitazone is not mediated by a reduction in endoplasmic reticulum stress. insulin sensitivity; fatty acid; thiazolidinediones; type 2 diabetes; obesity

Menopause and premature gonadal steroid deficiency are associated with increases in fat mass and body weight. Ovariectomized (OVX) mice also show reduced locomotor activity. Glucose-dependent-insulinotropic-polypeptide (GIP) is known to play an important role both in fat metabolism and locomotor activity. Therefore, we hypothesized that the effects of estrogen on the regulation of body weight, fat mass, and spontaneous physical activity could be mediated in part by GIP signaling. To test this hypothesis, C57BL/6 mice and GIP-receptor knockout mice (Gipr.sup.-/-) were exposed to OVX or sham operation (n = 10 per group). The effects on body composition, markers of insulin resistance, energy expenditure, locomotor activity, and expression of hypothalamic anorexigenic and orexigenic factors were investigated over 26 wk in all four groups of mice. OVX wild-type mice developed obesity, increased fat mass, and elevated markers of insulin resistance as expected. This was completely prevented in OVX (Gipr.sup.-/-) animals, even though their energy expenditure and spontaneous locomotor activity levels did not significantly differ from those of OVX wild-type mice. Cumulative food intake in OVX (Gipr.sup.-/-) animals was significantly reduced and associated with significantly lower hypothalamic mRNA expression of the orexigenic neuropeptide Y (NPY) but not of cocaine-amphetamine-related transcript (CART), melanocortin receptors (MCR-3 and MCR-4), or thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). GIP receptors thus interact with estrogens in the hypothalamic regulation of food intake in mice, and their blockade may carry promising potential for the prevention of obesity in gonadal steroid deficiency. estrogen; energy expenditure; body fat

The primary objective of this study was to assess the validity of body mass index (BMI) in predicting percent body fat and changes in percent body fat with weight loss in bariatric surgery patients. Twenty-two bariatric patients (17 female, five male) began the study designed to include 12 months of testing, including data collection within 1 week presurgery and 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postsurgery. Five female subjects were lost to the study between 6 months and 12 months postsurgery, resulting in 17 subjects (12 female, five male) completing the 12 months of testing. Variables measured in the study included height, weight, percent fat (% fat) by hydrostatic weighing, lean mass, fat mass, and basal metabolic rate. Regression analyses predicting % fat from BMI yielded the following results: presurgery r = 0.173, p = 0.479, standard error of estimate (SEE) = 3.86; 1 month r = 0.468, p = 0.043, SEE = 4.70; 3 months r = 0.553, p = 0.014, SEE = 6.2; 6 months r = 0.611, p = 0.005, SEE = 5.88; 12 months r = 0.596, p = 0.007, SEE = 7.13. Regression analyses predicting change in % fat from change in BMI produced the following results: presurgery to 1 month r = -0.134, p = 0.583, SEE = 2.44%; 1-3 months r = 0.265, p = 0.272, SEE = 2.36%; 3-6 months r = 0.206, p = 0.398, SEE = 3.75%; 6-12 months r = 0.784, p = 0.000, SEE = 3.20. Although some analyses resulted in significant correlation coefficients (p < 0.05), the relatively large SEE values would preclude the use of BMI in predicting % fat or change in % fat with weight loss in bariatric surgery patients.

The purpose of this study was to validate the percentage of body fat (%BF) values estimated from the BOD POD (BP) with those obtained from hydrostatic weighing (HW) in athletic American high school boys. Additionally, the %BF values measured via near-infrared interactance (NIR), bioelectrical impedance (BIA), and skinfold (SF) were compared to HW to determine the validity of these measures. Thirty white boys (mean age [+ or -] SD = 15.8 [+ or -] 1.0 years) who where currently participating in organized sports volunteered to have their %BF estimated. Measurements were obtained from NIR, BP, BIA, and SF in random order and concluded with HW. The findings from the present study indicated that the NIR and BIA instruments produced significant (P < 0.008) constant error (CE) and total error (TE) values that were too large to be of practical value (TE > 4.0%BF). The BP produced a significantly (P < 0.008) higher CE with acceptable TE values compared to HW, but compared to all three SF estimations, the BP TE values were higher. Two of the SF equations were nonsignificant (P > 0.008) and had the lowest TE values compared to HW. These data suggest that the BP can produce acceptable body fat measures for athletic white boys but is not superior to estimates made by the SF equations used in this study. KEY WORDS air d splacement plethysmography, near-infrared interactance youth, biolectrical impedance, skinfold

We investigated whether caloric restriction (CR) improves physical performance in a rodent model of aging, and whether this effect is accompanied with a decrease in visceral adipose tissue production of proinflammatory cytokines. Body composition, standardized physical performance measures, as well as in vitro visceral adipose tissue cytokine secretion and circulating levels of an inflammatory marker were cross-sectionally assessed in ad libitum (AL)-fed and lifelong CR Fischer 344 x Brown Norway male rats aged 18, 24, and 29 months. Fat to lean mass ratio increased and physical performance declined with age in the AL rats. Compared to AL rats, CR rats had lower fat mass, fat to lean ratio, adipose tissue secretion of interleukin-6, and circulating levels of C-reactive protein, and higher physical performance scores. Therefore, CR may be an effective intervention for improving functional status into advanced age and is perhaps mediated via a reduction in adipose tissue-generated proinflammatory cytokine production.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is an increasingly prevalent health problem, and natural effective therapeutic approaches are required to prevent its occurrence. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds with estrogenic activities; they can bind to both estrogen receptors [alpha] and [beta] and mimic the action of estrogens on target organs. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of soy-derived phytoestrogens on energy balance and metabolism. METHODS: Male outbred mice (CD-1) were allowed ad libitum access to either a high soy-contain-ing diet or a soy-free diet from conception to adulthood. We measured circulating serum isoflavone levels using reverse-phase solid-phase extraction for subsequent liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Adult animals were analyzed for body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, locomotor activity by running-wheel experiments, respiratory exchange rate by indirect calorimetry, and food intake using metabolic cages. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the expression of hypothalamic neuropeptide genes. RESULTS: We found that adult mice fed a soy-rich diet had reduced body weight, adiposity, and resistance to cold. This lean phenotype was associated with an increase in lipid oxidation due to a preferential use of lipids as fuel source and an increase in locomotor activity. The modulation of energy balance was associated with a central effect of phytoestrogens on the expression of hypothalamic neuropeptides, including agouti-related protein. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that dietary soy could have beneficial effects on obesity, but they also emphasize the importance of monitoring the phytoestrogen content of diets as a parameter of variability in animal experiments. KEY WORDS: AgRP, endocrine disruptors, isoflavones, lipid oxidation, obesity, phytoestrogens. Environ Health Perspect 115:1467-1473 (2007). doi:10.1289/ehp.10413 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 12 July 2007], In Western society obesity has become a major health problem, and it is beginning to replace undernutrition and infectious diseases as the most significant contributor to ill health worldwide. Overweight [...]

Background. There is little information regarding the effects of strength training on intermuscular fat (IMF). This study examines changes in IMF in response to strength training in carriers of the adrenergic receptor (ADR) [Beta]2Glu27 polymorphism versus noncarriers and between carriers of ADR[Alpha]2b [Glu.sup.9] polymorphism versus noncarriers. Methods. Midthigh IMF and muscle area were measured by computed tomography (CT) before and after 10 weeks of single-leg strength training in healthy, sedentary middle-aged and older (50-83 years) men ([Eta] = 46) and women ([Eta] = 52) in both their trained and untrained (control) legs. Results. The strength training program resulted in a substantial increase in one-repetition maximum strength (p < .001) and muscle area (p < .001), but no significant changes in IMF in the whole group. However, IMF was significantly reduced with strength training in participants carrying ADR[Beta]2 Glu27 (-2. 3 [+ or -] 1.0 [cm.sup.2], p = .028), but no significant change was observed with ADR[Beta]2 Glu27 noncarriers. The decrease in IMF in ADR[Alpha]2b [Glu.sup.9] carriers (-1.9 [+ or -] 1.0 [cm.sup.2], p = .066) was significantly different (-2.9 [+ or -] 1.5 [cm.sup.2], p - .043) from a nonsignificant increase in ADR[Alpha]2b [Glu.sup.9] noncarriers. ADR[Beta] Glu27 carriers who also carried ADR[Alpha]2b [Glu.sup.9] significantly lost IMF with strength training (-3.8 [+ or -] 1.5 [cm.sup.2], p = .018). Conclusion. ADR genotype influences IMF response to strength training.

A study assessed the degree of presence of body fat across three parameters among working males in Poland. Results showed that lifestyles and fitness awareness accounted for the variation encountered during the study.

We previously reported that broilers fed n-methyl-D,L-aspartate (NMA) exhibited enhanced feed conversion efficiency and decreased percentage of fat in carcasses. In this experiment, growth performance and backfat thickness were evaluated in barrows fed NMA. Poland China x Yorkshire barrows weighing 68.8 [+ or -] 1.7 kg (mean + SE) were allowed ad libitum access to feed containing NMA at levels of either 0 (n = 7), 100 (n = 6), 200 (n = 8), or 300 (n = 8) mg/kg for 36 d. Barrows were slaughtered at 99.5 [+ or -] 2.3 kg BW. There was no effect (P [is greater than] 0.1) of NMA on ADG or feed consumption. Gain:feed ratio decreased (P [is less than] 0.03) in a linear fashion with increasing level of NMA. There was a cubic effect (P [is less than] 0.05) of NMA treatment on first-rib backfat thickness. In response to graded levels of NMA, backfat thickness at the 10th rib (P [is less than] 0.08) and last rib (P [is less than] 0.03) increased in a linear fashion. The NMA had no effect (P [is greater than] 0.1) on backfat thickness measured at the lumbar vertebra or longissimus muscle area measured at the 10th rib interface. The percentage of lean in the carcass decreased in a linear fashion (P [is less than] 0.05) in response to increasing levels of NMA in the diet. In summary, NMA had an overall negative effect on growth performance and carcass yield characteristics in barrows. The dichotomous effects of NMA on feed efficiency and body composition in poultry and swine warrants further scrutiny. Key Words: Fat Thickness, Growth, Pigs

Reduced body fat and increased hepatic lipid synthesis in mice bearing interleukin-6-secreting tumor. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 281: E957-E965, 2001.--Chronic secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in mice causes metabolic alteration in the liver, leading to increased synthesis of hepatic cholesterol and fatty acids (FA). Mice were injected with allogeneic tumor cells transduced with the murine IL-6 gene. During the 3 wk after tumor inoculation, elevated serum IL-6 levels were associated with increased spleen and liver weight. Histological examination of sections from the liver showed increased hepatocyte proliferation, resulting in liver enlargement. Body composition analysis revealed that IL-6 caused a significant loss in fat tissue without affecting lean body mass and water content. Hepatic de novo synthesis of FA and cholesterol, as measured by [sup.3][H.sub.2]O incorporation, was three to five times as high in mice secreting IL-6 (IL-6 mice) as in pair-fed mice bearing nonsecreting tumors. This increase in FA and cholesterol synthesis is sufficient to maintain hepatic triglyceride secretion at levels comparable with those of pair-fed mice bearing nonsecreting tumors and, presumably, is the main source of cholesterol and FA-phospholipids necessary for hepatocyte proliferation. hepatocyte proliferation; adipose tissue; fatty acids; cholesterol; triglyceride; glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase