Activity, Energy Expenditure and Energy Requirements of Infants and Children (International Dietary Energy Consultative Group - IDECG, 1989, 412 pages): The energy requirements of growth and catch-up growth: 9. Conclusions

Activity, Energy Expenditure and Energy Requirements of Infants and Children (International Dietary Energy Consultative Group - IDECG, 1989, 412 pages)

The energy requirements of growth and catch-up growth

		(introductory text...)
		Abstract
		1. General concept of growth
		2. Outcome variables
		3. General principles relating nutrients to growth
		4. Hierarchy of metabolic functions
		5. Normal growth
		6. Catch-up growth
		7. Factors affecting net energy accretion
		8. Extent to which colonic fermentation of carbohydrates contributes to energy requirements in childhood
		9. Conclusions
		Acknowledgements
		References

9. Conclusions

It has been recommended that the requirements for energy be based upon determinations of energy expenditure. These measurements will give an indication of the metabolizable energy, but will not provide any information on the dynamic processes that result in that expenditure, nor the dietary intake that is required to satisfy that expenditure. The evidence would suggest that we are now in a position to ask more specific questions about the ways in which the body utilises energy and accomodates to changes in the available energy. Our work would suggest that the metabolic activity of the lower gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in this accommodation. The metabolic substrate available to the body cannot be simply measured as the dietary intake, nor even as the dietary intake minus urinary and faecal losses. The technology and techniques are available for the more refined study of the interaction of diet with metabolism. Exploration of these areas is likely to provide valuable new insights in the future.