Energy metabolism under dietary restriction : an investigation of human adaptation

“适应性”或“适应能力”一词是生理人类学研究普遍推进和促进的中心概念。纵观智人的历史，人类已经适应了环境压力。因此，人类的许多生理多态性存在于我们的地球分布中。据报道，不同人群的能量代谢各不相同。生活在北极气候下的人有很高的基础代谢率（BMR）。热带种群的BMR较低。然而，目前尚不清楚这种BMR差异是由基因决定的，还是由于短期功能适应所致。在本研究中，我们在某职业健康教育研究所进行了人类营养应激的流行病学研究，以调查代谢性人类适应。受试者随机分为轻度能量限制组和中度能量限制组。在急诊室期间，受试者住在研究所的宿舍，两组提供相同的生活环境。在短期ER的对照研究中，BMR和呼吸商下降。ER的程度与BMR的降低之间存在正相关。此外，BMR的变化比我们测量的体重和其他变量的变化更大。人们认为，BMR的这种剧烈反应是一种代谢抵抗，以尽量减少体重的减少。这些结果经过了动物实验研究的检验。我们证明了短期禁食和能量限制在代谢方面的生理功能的一些变化。从这些结果可以看出，人群能量代谢的变化不仅是由遗传决定的，而且是由短期的功能适应所决定的。这些结果已在国内和国际会议上发表，并在国际期刊上发表。然后，我们结束了这个研究项目。

The term "adaptability" or "capacity of adaptation" is the central concept in the general advancement and promotion of research in physiological anthropology. Throughout the history of Homo sapiens, mankind has adapted itself to environmental stress. As a result, numerous physiological polymorphisms in humans are present in our planet-wide distribution. Energy metabolism has been reported to vary among human populations. People living in arctic climates have a high basal metabolic rate (BMR). Tropical population has a low BMR. However, it is unclear whether such differences in BMR are genetically determined, or are due to short-term functional acclimatization.In the present research, to investigate a metabolic human adaptation, we conducted an epidemiological study for human nutritional stress at an institute for occupational health education. Subjects were divided randomly into a slight energy restriction (ER) group and a moderate ER group. During the ER, the subjects stay at dormitory of the institute, and the same life environment was provided for both groups. In a controlled study of short-term ER, BMR and respiratory quotient decreased. There was a positive association between a degree of ER and a reduction in BMR. In addition, changes in BMR were larger than those in body weight and other variables we measured. It is considered that this dramatic response of the BMR acts as a metabolic resistance, to minimize the reduction in body weight. These results were inspected by the animal experimental study. We demonstrated several changes in physiologic functions concerning metabolism by short-term fasting and energy restriction. From these results, it is considered that variation of energy metabolism among human population are not only determined genetically but also due to short-term functional acclimatization.These results has been presented at domestic and international congresses, and reported on international journals. Then, we ended the research project.