Dr. Taaffe et al., ACCURACY OF EQUATIONS TO PREDICT BASAL METABOLIC-RATE IN OLDER WOMEN, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 95(12), 1995, pp. 1387-1392
Objective To assess the accuracy of several published equations for pr
edicting basal metabolic rate (BMR) in older women. Design BMR was ass
essed in 116 healthy, older white women, aged 60 to 82 years, on three
successive mornings by indirect calorimetry. Body composition was det
ermined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry or hydrostatic weighing. T
he measured BMRs were compared with values obtained from eight publish
ed prediction equations that used solely, or in various combinations,
measures of height, weight, fat-free mass, age, and menopausal status.
Statistical analyses performed The root mean squared prediction error
(RMSPE) was used to determine how accurately predicted BMR matched ac
tual BMR for each subject. In addition, regression analysis was used t
o evaluate accuracy of predicted BMR vs directly measured BMR. Results
Predicted mean BMR determined using all eight equations was significa
ntly correlated to measured BMR (P=.0001), accounting for 30% to 52% o
f the variance of measured BMR. When analyzed by RMSPE, however, the e
quations of Owen et al (1986), Fredrix et al (1990), and Harris-Benedi
ct (1919) predicted actual BMR for each subject within an average of 1
16 kcal/day, and the equation of Cunningham (1980) resulted in the lar
gest prediction error at 208 kcal/day. Applications/conclusions The re
gression equations of Owen et al (1986): which used body weight, Fredr
ix et al (1990), which used body weight and age, and Harris-Benedict (
1919), which used age, weight, and height as variables, were most accu
rate in predicting BMR in our sample of healthy older women.