Energy expenditure of obese subjects living in a respiration chamber is higher than that of
lean controls; this is due to a greater basal metabolic rate in the obese. Groups of obese
subjects with a family history of obesity and/or a childhood onset of obesity have a reduced
thermogenic response after glucose or meal ingestion. However, this defect in diet-induced
thermogenesis is not a uniform finding, since only a third of an unselected group of obese
women exhibit a reduced response. Moreover, obese subjects with reduced thermogenesis …