Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between basal metabolic rate (BMR) and all-cause mortality in southern Chinese adults.Methods: We prospectively examined the relationship between BMR and all-cause mortality in 12,608 Southern Chinese adults with age ≥ 35 years who participated in the National Key R&D Program from 2013–2014 to 2019–2020. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between BMR and all-cause mortality.Results: A total of 809 deaths (including 478 men and 331 women) occurred during a median follow-up period of 5.60 years. All-cause mortality was higher in elderly individuals than in non-elderly individuals (11.48 vs. 2.04%, P < 0.001) and was higher in male subjects than in female subjects (9.84 vs. 4.56%, P < 0.001). There was a significantly inverse relationship between BMR levels and all-cause mortality in elderly male individuals (adjusted-HR per SD increase: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.70–0.91, P < 0.001). Compared with BMR levels ≤ 1,115 kJ/day, there was lower all-cause mortality in third and highest BMR quartiles in the elderly male subjects (adjusted-HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.53–0.95, P = 0.022; adjusted-HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.43–0.84, P = 0.003, respectively).Conclusion: An elevated BMR was independently inversely associated with all-cause mortality in elderly male subjects in a southern Chinese population.
Highlights
The question of why we age and die has been a central subject in the life, medical, and health sciences
We prospectively examined the relationship between basal metabolic rate (BMR) and all-cause mortality in 12,608 Southern Chinese adults with age ≥ 35 years who participated in the National Key R&D Program from 2013–2014 to 2019–2020
There was a significantly inverse relationship between BMR levels and all-cause mortality in elderly male individuals
Summary
The question of why we age and die has been a central subject in the life, medical, and health sciences. At the beginning of the twentieth century, scientists noticed that larger, longer-lived animals had lower basal metabolic rate (BMR), and that the product of their metabolism (per gram) and lifespan was essentially constant (Rubner, 1908). These data formed a cornerstone of the rate-ofliving hypothesis (Lints, 1989) and the free radical damage theory (Beckman and Ames, 1998) of aging, both of which put forward that the longevity of different animal species is inversely proportional to their energy expenditure. Production of damaging reactive oxygen species from metabolism is thought to cause greater oxidative stress and decreased longevity (Lints, 1989; Beckman and Ames, 1998; Brys et al, 2007; Monaghan et al, 2009).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
