Impact of Equation Choice on Resting Metabolic Rate Ratio in High-Level Men and Women Athletes

Abstract

Objective: To examine the impact of the RMR ratio cutoff point selected on the categorization of prevalence/absence of low energy availability among predictive equations in high-level athletes (n = 241 [99 women]; 52% competed at the World Championship and Olympic Games), and whether this categorization is influenced by sex and the predictive equation used. Methods: We assessed RMR using indirect calorimetry, predicted the RMR using the equations proposed by Harris-Benedict, FAO/WHO/UNU, de Lorenzo, ten Haaf and Wejis, Wong, Jagim, Cunningham, and Freire, and computed the RMR ratio for each equation. Results: We observed that the cumulative percentage of RMR ratio values increased at a faster rate using Jagim, ten Haaf and Wejis, and Cunningham equations compared to the other equations. At the 0.90 value (the most used cutoff point in literature), the Jagim equation categorized ≥ 50% of the athletes into “low energy availability”. No Sex × Equation × Sport interaction effect was observed (F = 0.10, p = 1.0). There was a significant main effect to Sex (F = 11.7, p < 0.001, ES = 0.05), Sport (F = 16.4, p < 0.001, ES = 0.01), and Equation (F = 64.1, p < 0.001, ES = 0.19). Wong and FAO/WHO/UNU equations yielded the largest errors (assessed vs. predicted RMR) in men and women, respectively. Conclusion: The selected RMR ratio cutoff point influences the prevalence/absence of low energy availability characterization in high-level athletes and suggests that certain equations could bias its assessment.