PE4S213 - Adipose Tissue and Energy Balance 01 Sep 2021 - 31 Aug 2027 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: PE4S213
Module Title: Adipose Tissue and Energy Balance
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Allied Health and Chiropractic
Faculty Sub Group: Clinical Services
Module Leader: Karl New
Module Team:
First Intended Intake: SEP 2021 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100260 - healthcare science
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2021
Valid To 31 Aug 2027

Module Aims

Develop a critical understanding and knowledge of adipose tissue, fat deposition and storage, and human energy balance.

Content Summary

• The histology and physiology of the adipocyte and adipose tissue.
• Regional distribution of body fat: sex-specific characteristics of subcutaneous, visceral and gluteo-femoral adiposity. The role of adipose tissue as an endocrine organ and its role in health and disease.
• Adipose tissue and inter-organ communication
• Appetite regulation and the role of adipose tissue, the brain, gastrointestinal tract and other organs and tissues (e.g. liver and skeletal muscle) in the complex neuro-endocrine regulation of food intake, energy expenditure and body composition.
• Introduction to the assessment of energy intake, energy expenditure and body composition and their application in clinical weight management.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Independent Study 100
Directed Study 100
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical knowledge of adipose tissue biology and the regulation of energy homeostasis and body composition through the integrated actions of various organs and tissues.
LO2 Demonstrate a critical understanding of the methods used to assess human body composition, energy intake and energy expenditure and knowledge of the application of these methods in the setting of clinical weight management.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Synchronous Online Assessment Time-constrained assessment (Online) 1 End of Module examination related to adipose tissue and energy balance 60 N/A 30 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Self Reflective Assessment 1 Reflective Journal 0 600 10 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Project 1 Completion of a group task related to adipose tissue and energy balance 0 N/A 20 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Case study 1 Case based scenarios and discussion forum related to adipose tissue and energy balance 0 N/A 40 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Time-constrained assessment (Online) 1 ✔ ✔
Self Reflective Assessment 1 ✔ ✔
Project 1 ✔ ✔
Case study 1 ✔ ✔

Reading List

Frayn, K. and Evans, R. (2019) Human Metabolism: A Human Regulatory Perspective (4th Edition): Wiley-Blackwell.

Bray, G., Bouchard, C. (2014) Handbook of Obesity (Two-volume set): CRC Press

McArdle, W., Katch, F., Katch V. (2014) Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy and Human Performance (8th Edition): Wolters Klouwer

Hormonal Regulation of Food Intake Physiological Reviews (2005) http://physrev.physiology.org/content/85/4/1131

Appetite Control and Weight Regulation: The Role of Gut Hormones. Perry and Wang. (2012) Nutrition and Diabetes http://www.nature.com/nutd/journal/v2/n1/full/nutd201121a.html

Chusyd, D.E., Wang, D., Huffman, D.M. and Nagy, T.R., (2016). Relationships between rodent white adipose fat pads and human white adipose fat depots. Frontiers in nutrition, 3, p.10..

Cohena, P. and Spiegelmanb, B. M. (2016) ‘Cell biology of fat storage’, Molecular Biology of the Cell, 27(16), pp. 2523–2527. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E15-10-0749

Da Rocha, E. E. M., Alves, V. G. F. and Da Fonseca, R. B. V (2006) ‘Indirect calorimetry: Methodology, instruments and clinical application’, Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 9(3), pp. 247–256. doi:10.1097/01.mco.0000222107.15548.f5.

Stenkula, K. G. and Erlanson-Albertsson, C. (2018) ‘Adipose cell size: Importance in health and disease’, American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 315(2), pp. R284–R295. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00257.2017

Unger, R. H., Scherer, P. E. and Holland, W. L. (2013) ‘Dichotomous roles of leptin and adiponectin as enforcers against lipotoxicity during feast and famine’, Molecular Biology of the Cell, 24(19), pp. 3011–3015. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E12-10-0774.