ESTIMATION OF ENERGY-INTAKE TO FEED SUBJECTS AT ENERGY-BALANCE AS VERIFIED WITH DOUBLY LABELED WATER - A STUDY IN THE ELDERLY

A study was intended to estimate energy intake (EI) for a nutrition in tervention study. Subjects were 17 elderly men (age: 72 +/- 5 years) a nd 11 elderly women (age: 67 +/- 4 years). Two methods were used to me asure EI: a 4-day dietary record (DR group; n = 12) or a dietary quest ionnaire (DQ group; n = 16). Subjects were fed for 3 weeks according t o this intake during an intervention period, and energy expenditure (E E) was measured with doubly labelled water to verify the resulting fig ure for EI. Body weight and body composition were measured at the begi nning of the second week and at the end of the third week, and metabol izable energy (ME) was calculated as gross energy intake (GEI) minus e nergy in faeces and urine. GEI, ME and EE did not differ between the D R and DQ groups (mean +/- SD for GEI: 10.09 +/- 1.21 and 9.29 +/- 1.36 ; ME: 9.09 +/- 1.28 and 8.34 +/- 1.31; EE: 10.13 +/-1.57 and 9.25 +/- 0.35 MJ/d). In both groups ME was significantly lower than EE (DR grou p P < 0.05; DQ group P < 0.01). Body weight decreased significantly du ring the intervention period (mean +/- SD for DR group: -0.64 +/- 0.50 kg, P < 0.001; DQ group: -0.86 +/- 0.90 kg, P < 0.01). The change in body weight was significantly correlated with energy balance (ME - EE; P < 0.05). As shown from the results of the body composition measurem ents, body weight loss was a decrease of fat mass. In conclusion: ener gy intake as measured with a 4-day dietary record or with a dietary qu estionnaire underestimates energy expenditure in elderly men and women . Discrepancy between ME and measured EE is higher in subjects with a higher body mass index (P < 0.05).