Thermic effect of food in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

A substantial number of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer from body weight loss because of increased energy expenditure during the natural course of their illness. The aim of the present study is to determine the contribution of thermic effect of food (TEF) in the increased energy expenditure of the patients with stable COPD. We measured resting energy expenditure (REE) and postprandial energy expenditure of 9 COPD patients (%FEV₁; 52.0 ± 16.7%) and 5 healthy controls (%FEV₁; 85.4 ± 12.9%) for 4 hours after a mixed test meal. All COPD patients were normally nourished (BMI; 23.1 ± 2.3kg/m²), and showed no difference from healthy control (BMI; 24.9 ± 5.2kg/m²). There were no significant differences in REE between COPD patients and healthy control. However, TEF in COPD patients significantly increased than that in healthy controls (p<0.05). These results suggest that subclinical energy loss derived from increased TEF starts even in normally nourished COPD patients.