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Energy requirements of urban Chinese adults with manual or sedentary occupations, determined using the doubly labeled water method

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 56, pages 575–584 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: To examine total energy expenditure (TEE) in relation to occupation and reported leisure time activities in free-living Chinese adults, and to determine whether measured TEE values differ from current international dietary energy recommendations.

Setting and subjects: Seventy three weight-maintaining adults aged 35–49 y, leading unrestricted lives in urban Beijing, with a wide variety of occupations.

Design and methods: A cross-sectional study in which TEE was determined by doubly labeled water, body composition by deuterium oxide (2H2O) dilution, resting energy expenditure (pREE) by prediction equations, and occupational and leisure time activities by questionnaire.

Results: For men and women respectively, TEE averaged 12.10±0.32 and 9.53±0.23 MJ/day (P<0.001), and physical activity level (PAL=TEE/pREE) was 1.77±0.04 and 1.66±0.02 (P<0.05). Fat-free mass (FFM) was the single best predictor of TEE (adjusted r2=0.71, P<0.001). Occupational category (light, moderate and heavy) further predicted TEE, independent of FFM (adjusted multiple r2=0.82, P<0.001). Both TEE adjusted for weight and PAL increased with occupational category. Measured TEE was slightly but significantly higher than the 1985 FAO/WHO/UNU estimates for women with light occupations, but did not differ from estimates for men with light occupations, or for adults with moderate or heavy occupations.

Conclusion: Level of occupational activity, but not duration or type of leisure activity, significantly predicted TEE in free-living urban Chinese adults. Current energy requirement recommendations slightly underestimated the energy needs of women with light occupations but were accurate for men and women with moderate and heavy occupations.

Sponsorship: NIH grants DK53404 and F32-DK09747.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully thank BM Popkin at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, KY Ge at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, and F Zheng at the Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, for discussions about the protocol; H Pan, J Song and SJ Gao for their technical assistance; I Ellis for performing isotopic analyses; Dr GE Dallal for statistical advice; P Fuss for assistance with the manuscript, and the subjects and their families for participating in the study.

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Author notes

  1. M Yao and SB Roberts: Guarantor: M Yao and SB Roberts.

  2. M Yao, MA McCrory, G Ma, Y Li and GG Dolnikowski: Contributors: MY and SBR were responsible for design of the study and wrote the manuscript. MY, YPL and GSM were particularly responsible for conduct of study, with support from MAMcC. MAMcC helped MY and SR with analysis and interpretation of the data. GGD helped with isotopic analyses. All authors have approved the manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    M Yao, MA McCrory, GG Dolnikowski & SB Roberts

  2. Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China

    G Ma & Y Li

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Correspondence to SB Roberts.

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Yao, M., McCrory, M., Ma, G. et al. Energy requirements of urban Chinese adults with manual or sedentary occupations, determined using the doubly labeled water method. Eur J Clin Nutr 56, 575–584 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601361

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