Derivation of formulae used to calculate energy expenditure in man.

TLDR

The paper reviews the origins of data underlying commonly used energy‑expenditure formulae. The study introduces new source data and derives a revised energy‑expenditure formula. The authors attribute discrepancies to inappropriate original values and arithmetic errors in the existing formulae. The study finds that formulae differ by about 3 %, a substantial error compared to long‑term energy‑balance studies and modern respiration‑chamber accuracy.

Abstract

The origins of the data used to construct some of the formulae in current usage for the calculation of energy expenditure are discussed. The differences in expenditure calculated by the various formulae cover a range of about 3 per cent. This error is large in relation to long-term studies of energy balance, and to the accuracy attainable with modern respiration chambers. The differences stem in part from the use of inappropriate original values and in part from errors in arithmetic. A new set of source data and a derived formula are presented.