Authors

Lewis G. Halsey, University of Roehampton
Vincent Careau, University of Ottawa
Philip N. Ainslie, Liverpool John Moores University
Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo, Centro de Investigacion en Alimentacion y Desarrollo
Lene F. Andersen, Universitetet i Oslo
Liam J. Anderson, Liverpool John Moores University
Leonore Arab, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Issad Baddou, Université Ibn Tofail
Linda Bandini, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Kweku Bedu-Addo, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology
Ellen E. Blaak, Maastricht Universitair Medisch Centrum+
Stephane Blanc, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien
Alberto G. Bonomi, Philips Research
Carlijn V.C. Bouten, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
Pascal Bovet, Centre Universitaire de Médecine Générale et Santé Publique, Lausanne
Soren Brage, MRC Epidemiology Unit
Maciej S. Buchowski, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nancy Butte, USDA ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center
Stephan G. Camps, Universiteit Maastricht
Regian Casper, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago
Graeme L. Close, Liverpool John Moores University
Lisa H. Colbert, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jamie A. Cooper, University of Wisconsin
Richard Cooper, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health
Prasangi Dabare, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
Sai Krupa Das, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
Peter S.W. Davies, Centre for Children's Health Research
Sanjoy Deb, University of Westminster
Christine Delisle Nyström, Karolinska Institutet
William Dietz, The George Washington University
Lara R. Dugas, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health
Simon Eaton, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
Ulf Ekelund, Norges Idrettshøgskole

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-20-2023

Abstract

There is considerably greater variation in metabolic rates between men than between women, in terms of basal, activity and total (daily) energy expenditure (EE). One possible explanation is that EE is associated with male sexual characteristics (which are known to vary more than other traits) such as musculature and athletic capacity. Such traits might be predicted to be most prominent during periods of adolescence and young adulthood, when sexual behaviour develops and peaks. We tested this hypothesis on a large dataset by comparing the amount of male variation and female variation in total EE, activity EE and basal EE, at different life stages, along with several morphological traits: height, fat free mass and fat mass. Total EE, and to some degree also activity EE, exhibit considerable greater male variation (GMV) in young adults, and then a decreasing GMV in progressively older individuals. Arguably, basal EE, and also morphometrics, do not exhibit this pattern. These findings suggest that single male sexual characteristics may not exhibit peak GMV in young adulthood, however total and perhaps also activity EE, associated with many morphological and physiological traits combined, do exhibit GMV most prominently during the reproductive life stages.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Biology Letters

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