Resting and sleeping energy expenditure in the elderly.
An estimate of a patient's energy needs is usually derived from equations, which predict energy expenditure (EE) by considering sex, age and body weight. Due to the increasing number of elderly people in a hospital population, more data on energy requirements in this age-group are needed. In this study resting energy expenditure (REE) of 40 healthy men and women, aged 51-82 years, was measured using a ventilated hood system. The results showed that some commonly used prediction equations underestimated REE by approximately 6 per cent. REE was highly correlated with fat free mass (FFM) (r = 0.88; P less than 0.001) and body weight (r = 0.85; P less than 0.001). A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the combination of body weight, sex and age resulted in the best prediction for REE; REE (kcal) = 1641 + 10.7 weight (kg)--9.0 age (years)--203 sex (1 = male, 2 = female) (r = 0.92). However, REE of an individual may be over- or underestimated by +/- 225 kcal (10-20 per cent) due to large between-subject variations. We suggest therefore that the energy requirements of elderly people should be measured rather than predicted. Due to small within-subject variations (including measurement error) a single REE measurement would suffice. Sleeping energy expenditure (SEE) was 7 per cent lower than REE.
Fredrix
E W
EW
Department of Human Biology, University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Soeters
P B
PB
Deerenberg
I M
IM
Kester
A D
AD
von Meyenfeldt
M F
MF
Saris
W H
WH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000886:Anthropometry; D001835:Body Weight; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*