Skin temperature response to a liquid meal intake is different in men than in women.

Borja Martinez-Tellez, Lourdes Ortiz-Alvarez, Guillermo Sanchez-Delgado, Huiwen Xu, Francisco M Acosta, Elisa Merchan-Ramirez, Victoria Muñoz-Hernandez, Wendy D Martinez-Avila, Miguel A Contreras-Gomez, Angel Gil, Idoia Labayen, Jonatan R Ruiz

Journal: Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) 2020;38(3):1339-1347

PMID: 29907354

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

BACKGROUND & AIM

The thermic effect of food (TEF) refers to the increase of the metabolic rate and body temperature in response to a single meal. To date, most of the studies have focused to determine the TEF in terms of energy expenditure, but little is known about which is the response in terms of skin temperature. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the thermic effect of food (TEF) on the skin temperature with a standardized and individualized liquid meal test is different in young adult men than in young adult women.

METHODS

A total of 104 young adults (36 men and 68 women, age: 18-25 years old) consumed a standardized and individualized liquid meal (energy intake: 50% of measured basal metabolic rate, 50% carbohydrates, 35% fat, 15% protein). The skin temperature was measured by means of 17 iButtons during 3 h and 20 min. The mean, proximal, distal, and supraclavicular skin temperature, as well as the peripheral gradient, were determined as a proxy of a peripheral vasoconstriction. The participants reported the thermal sensation of the whole body, clavicular, feet, and hands zones. The body composition was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry.

RESULTS

The overall, mean, proximal, and supraclavicular skin temperature significantly increased after the meal intake (all P < 0.05 vs. the baseline temperature). There was a postprandial peripheral vasoconstriction right after the meal intake and over the first hour and a peripheral vasodilatation during the second and third hour. Women had a higher increase in all skin temperature parameters in comparison to men (all, P < 0.05), whereas there were no sex differences in the proximal skin temperature (P = 0.279). The pattern of thermal sensation was similar between sexes, but women always felt colder than men. All of the results persisted after adjusting the analyses for body composition or menstrual cycle.

CONCLUSION

A standardized and individualized liquid meal test increases the skin temperature in young adults, being the thermic effect higher in women than in men.

Address: PROFITH (PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity) Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected].; PROFITH (PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity) Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; CIBEROBN, Biomedical Research Networking Center for Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain.; Department of Health Sciences, Public University of Navarra, Pamplona, Avda. Barañáisn s/n., 31008, Spain.

DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2018.05.026

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MeSH Terms: Adolescent, Adult, Beverages, Female, Humans, Male, Meals, Sex Factors, Skin Temperature, Thermogenesis, Young Adult