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Energy Balance and Active Lifestyle

LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE

The Committee on Energy Balance and Active Lifestyle seeks to define the state of the science on energy balance and physical activity and its relationship to active/healthy living, including weight management, and to identify research gaps.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States and around the world, with over 72 million individuals in the United States being considered obese. Creating a unified, successful obesity reduction strategy relies on understanding the underlying causes of obesity. The Committee on Energy Balance and Active Lifestyle organized a consensus-style conference for spring 2011 to assess the state of the science on understanding energy balance and the development of parameters to help individuals understand and achieve energy balance. A resulting publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed this joint venture between ILSI North America and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). In October 2011, the committee helped to organize a scientific session on “Energy Balance: a New Conceptual Framework” at the 11th European Nutrition Conference in Madrid, Spain. The committee is also working in collaboration with ILSI Japan and ILSI Focal Point in China to develop two 1-day workshops on energy balance to be held in Tokyo and in Beijing in December 2011.

The committee will pursue additional projects in 2012 and may seek opportunities to collaborate on projects with ASN and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.
 


PRESENTATIONS

Experimental Biology 2012: “Energy Balance: A New Paradigm”

This special conference discussed “energy balance” in terms of a biological system in which energy intake and expenditure change over time in response to one another and to the environment.  The evolving scientific understanding of how the inter-components of energy balance relate to the overall weight maintenance and reduction equation in a biological system were presented.  Speakers explored how energy balance should be studied from a methodological perspective and how a new understanding of “energy balance” might impact current strategies to prevent weight gain or enhance weight loss. A panel session at the conclusion of the special conference discussed what research is needed to better inform our knowledge of energy balance.  ​

Welcome and Introductions
Defining Energy Balance
Methodological Issues in Studying Energy Balance
Statistical and Study Design Issues
Effect of Manipulating Components of Energy Intake and Energy Expenditure
Can Energy Be Altered by Exercise Alone?
Future Directions and Panel Discussion

PUBLICATIONS

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The Coca-Cola Company
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Kraft Foods, Inc.
Mars, Incorporated
PepsiCo, Inc.


SCIENCE ADVISORS

James Hill, PhD
University of Colorado at Denver

John Jakicic, PhD
University of Pittsburgh

Carson Chow, PhD
National Institutes of Health

STAFF CONTACT

Heather Steele, MPhil
Associate Director, Program Development
 ILSI North America
1156 15th Street, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC  20005
Tel: 202.659.0074 (ext. 150)
Fax: 202.659.3859
hsteele@ilsi.org

Download the Committee on Energy Balance and Active Lifestyle fact sheet here.
Energy Balance and Active Lifestyle