Lower cellular metabolic power can be an explanation for obesity trend in Tae-Eum type: hypothesis and clinical observation

BACKGROUND: Those classified as Tae-Eum (TE)-type people in Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM) are prone to obesity. Although extensive clinical observations have confirmed this tendency, the underlying physiological mechanisms are unknown. Here, we propose a novel hypothesis using integrative physiology to explain this phenomenon. METHODS: Hypoactive lung function in the TE type indicates that respiration is attenuated at the cellular level—specifically, mitochondrial oxygen consumption. Because a functional reduction in cellular energy metabolism is suggestive of intrinsic hypoactivity in the consumption (or production) of metabolic energy, we reasoned that this tendency can readily cause weight gain via an increase in anabolism. Thus, this relationship can be derived from the graph of cellular metabolic power plotted against body weight. We analyzed the clinical data of 548 individuals to test this hypothesis. RESULTS: The statistical analysis revealed that the cellular metabolic rate was lower in TE-type individuals and that their percentage of obesity (body mass index >25) was significantly higher compared to other constitutional groups. CONCLUSION: Lower cellular metabolic power can be an explanation for the obesity trend in TE type people.