American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 62, 1067S-1071S, Copyright © 1995 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

REVIEW ARTICLES

Ethnicity and energy stores

JM Conway
US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, MD 20705-2350, USA.

The primary storage form of energy within humans is fat, which accumulates in adipose tissue including the subcutaneous, omental, mesenteric, retroperitoneal, and mammary depots. Although it has been known for some time that the size of these depots varies with sex, age, and physiologic state, it has only recently been suggested that adipose tissue partitioning, and therefore energy storage, may vary among ethnic groups. Indicators of ethnicity include race, place of birth, and culture and traditions. The literature describing energy storage in North American Indians, African Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans, and Pacific Islanders is summarized and data are presented from studies comparing African American and Caucasian (Americans of Northern European descent) obese women. It is proposed that, for the purpose of research, physiologic characteristics and not ethnicity should be the basic factors used to recruit human study volunteers until we obtain mechanisms to discriminate genotype and to relate phenotype to energy storage.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Kim, S. Nam, C. Ahn, K. Kim, S. Yoon, J. Kim, B. Cha, S. Lim, K. Kim, H. Lee, et al. Correlation Between Midthigh Low- Density Muscle and Insulin Resistance in Obese Nondiabetic Patients in Korea Diabetes Care, June 1, 2003; 26(6): 1825 - 1830. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. M Barden, D. A Kawchak, K. Ohene-Frempong, V. A Stallings, and B. S Zemel Body composition in children with sickle cell disease Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2002; 76(1): 218 - 225. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]