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SEASONAL VARIATION IN BODY WEIGHT: AN EXPERIMENTAL CASE STUDY

Klaas R. Westerterp, Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.

The effect of seasonal variation in ambient temperature on body weight was studied in one subject over three consecutive years (1997-2000), including a shift in the cold season to a tropic environment (1999). The subject was a man, 51 y, body mass index 21.7 kg/m2. Ambient temperature was a 24h average as monitored by the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute at a location within 10 km. Body weight was measured daily, in the morning after getting up with an empty bladder and before any food or water intake, on a scale accurate to ±0.01 kg. Ambient temperature ranged between a winter minimum of -3.4, -5.5 and -4.7°C, and a summer maximum of 26.9, 25.8 and 24.4°C over the three consecutive years. Body weight reached a winter maximum of 60.7, 60.7 and 60.3 kg, and a summer minimum of 57.4, 57.2 and 57.3 kg over the same interval. There was a strong negative correlation between body weight and ambient temperature (r2 = 0.58, p < 0.0001), apart from the season with the shift from a low to a high ambient temperature. Then, body weight dropped from the winter value of 60.0 kg to 57.6 kg after two weeks in the tropics at 27°C. Surprisingly, body weight remained at a similar value until the summer, despite ambient temperatures down to -4.7°C in late winter. One of the potential mechanisms is a temperature induced rhythm in thyroid activity, where thyroid activity reduced after heat exposure in mid-winter to a summer low with a consequent reduction of body weight. In conclusion, body weight shows a clear seasonal variation triggered by ambient temperature, with a minimum in summer and a maximum in winter, possibly regulated by thyroid activity.