Resting energy expenditure (REE) is the number of calories burned in a day without strenuous activity. It is difficult to measure accurately, but formulas and methods like calorimeters and gas analysis can provide an estimate. Knowing REE can help maintain weight and guide daily caloric intake.
Resting energy expenditure (REE) is a term that describes the number of calories someone burns in a day without any strenuous activity. There are several ways to estimate a person’s metabolic rate, which directly affects resting energy expenditure, but it is very difficult to get a completely accurate measure of someone’s REE without the use of expensive equipment. However, having at least a rough measure of resting energy expenditure can be very important because it can help someone determine how many calories they can consume in a day without gaining or losing weight.
Part of the reason resting energy expenditure is difficult to determine is that there are a number of variables that determine someone’s metabolic rate. Resting energy expenditures vary between men and women, for example. Additionally, an individual’s height and weight have a large impact on the REE. As a person ages, his metabolism slows and, therefore, his resting energy expenditure decreases.
While it is very difficult to account for all of these factors, there are methods available to get an accurate measure of someone’s resting energy expenditure. A calorimeter can effectively determine someone’s metabolism by measuring the amount of heat produced by body mass. Another method is to use an analysis of the gases a subject breathes to derive the volume of air passing through the lungs. This can provide an indirect measure of the body’s metabolism. Both methods are complicated and potentially expensive.
Much more frequently, subjects use one of any number of formulas to determine metabolism and the resulting resting energy expenditure. One of the most common is the basal metabolic rate, or BMR, combined with the Harris Benedict equations. The BMR formula represents several of the main variables that determine a person’s metabolism. The Harris Benedict equation uses the BMR but adjusts the final value depending on the amount of activity a person tends to engage in. The resulting measurements are not completely accurate because they do not consider the ratio of lean muscle mass to body weight, which can have a large effect on REE, but may still provide a sufficient guide for daily caloric expenditure.
Regardless of the method for determining resting energy expenditure, it can be very important to obtain at least an approximate measure of REE. Knowing REE can help someone maintain their weight, especially when that person undergoes some type of lifestyle change, such as those resulting from injury or disease states. Similarly, athletes trying to gain weight can use their REE to figure out how many calories they’ll need to consume each day.
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