Basal metabolic rate

Vivian Imbriotis | June 22, 2026

Overall energy expenditure consists of

  • Basal metabolic rate (60%)
  • Thermic effect of food (10%)
  • Nonexercise activity (5%)
  • Purposeful activity (~25%, but obviously highly variable)

Basal metabolic rate is

  • Energy required to sustain chemical reactions of resting body
  • = energy liberated from food when...
  • At rest, but awake
  • Fasted state (not eaten for 12 hours)
  • Not exercised for 12 hours
  • Supine
  • Thermoneutral temperature
  • All sources of excitement removed

Determinants of BMR (ABCDEFGHI)

  • Age: \(\downarrow\) 2%/decade
  • Body mass and composition: \(\uparrow \uparrow\) with \(\uparrow\) lean mass, \(\uparrow\) with obesity
  • Climate: BMR \(\uparrow\) 20% in arctic vs tropics
  • Disease (fever, burns, trauma, malignancy) \(\to \ \uparrow\)BMR
  • Endocrine (all \(\uparrow\) BMR): thyroxine, catecholamines, testosterone
  • "Fertility" (Pregnancy) \(\uparrow\) BMR
  • Gender - men > women
  • "Hibernation" (Sleep) - \(\downarrow\) CNS activity \(\to \ \downarrow\)10%
  • Intake - starvation \(\to \ \downarrow\)BMR

Measurement of BMR

  • Above conditions satisfied (at rest, fasted etc)
  • Direct calorimetry: Subject placed in insulated chamber filled with H2O \(\to \Delta \text{Temp} \propto \text{BMR}\)
  • Indirect calorimetry: 1L O2 consumption \(\approx\) 5kCal - but depends on respiratory quotient. Mixed expired gas is collected with known FiO2 and MV; \(F\bar{e}O_2\) and \(F\bar{e}CO_2\) measured. \(\dot{V}_{O_2}\) and \(\dot{V}_{CO_2}\) calculated \(\to\) metabolic rate calculated with Weir equation.