Research

Energy balance

In obese men, upper body obesity (higher waist-to-thigh ratio) is associated with a significantly higher basal metabolic rate (BMR) compared to lower body obesity, independent of fat-free mass, fat mass, and age.

For obese men, carrying more weight around the waist (visceral fat) is linked to a higher resting metabolic rate than carrying weight on the hips/thighs. This metabolic difference does not appear to exist in obese women in this study. Focus on overall health markers rather than just total weight.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Obese male subjects with upper body obesity had BMR significantly higher than those with lower body obesity (2189 ± 268 vs 1974 ± 141 kcal/day; p < 0.01), independently of differences in fat-free mass, fat mass and age.
P. Antonio Tataranni et al. · Journal of the American College of Nutrition · 1994

Why this rating

Large sample size (n=115 obese), controlled environment (respiration chamber), and rigorous statistical adjustment for confounders (FFM, FM, age).

Source

Body fat distribution and energy metabolism in obese men and women.

P. Antonio Tataranni et al. · Journal of the American College of Nutrition · 1994

DOI 10.1080/07315724.1994.10718449

cross_sectional · n=223Cited 38×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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