Abstract
Accurate measurement of the resting metabolic rate (RMR) is necessary when we make energy requirements and nutrition suggestions in clinical. However, indirect calorimetry is not always available. The objectives of this study were to make a comparison between RMR measured by indirect calorimetry and RMR predicted by different kinds of equations, and to develop new predictive equations for Chinese mainland adults. In this study, 315 Chinese mainland adults from different provinces all over China were recruited. Subjects underwent half a day of testing, which consisted of anthropometric assessment and RMR measurement. Measured and predicted RMR were compared; new optimal equations for Chinese mainland adults were developed and tested by splitting the subjects into a development and validation group. The measured RMR was in the range of 831–2776 kcal/day (mean 1651 ± 339 kcal/day). Our findings indicated that, except for the Harris–Benedict and Schofield equations, three Chinese equations and two fat-free mass (FFM) modeling equations all significantly underestimated RMR compared to the measured value (all p < 0.01). There were no significant differences between predicted and measured RMR using the new equations for females and males. Of the pre-existing equations, Schofield’s is the most suitable for Chinese mainland adults. However, the two new equations developed in this study seem to be more effective for predicting the RMR of Chinese mainland adults, and need to be validated by a larger independent sample with different physiological and anthropometric characteristics.
Highlights
Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is typically defined as the energy required when we are in a resting condition [1], which is very important because it typically contributes 60–75% of total energy expenditure in humans [2]
We found that the commonly used predictive equations are based on Western populations, and very few have been developed from Asian populations [11]
The Schofield equation was the most accurate equation (59.1% accuracy rate and –0.34% bias percentage) among the equations validated in this study for predicting RMR in Chinese mainland adults aged 18–67 years for males and females
Summary
Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is typically defined as the energy required when we are in a resting condition [1], which is very important because it typically contributes 60–75% of total energy expenditure in humans [2]. Indirect calorimetry, which is considered to be the clinical gold-standard measurement of RMR, is a metabolic measurement system that tests oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to calculate energy expenditure [3]. Several equations have been used to predict RMR as a substitute for measured RMR [4], by using some anthropometric indices, such as age, body weight, height, gender, and fat-free mass. We cannot accurately obtain all individuals’ RMR by using one standard prediction equation because each RMR
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