Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Communication
  • Published:

FAO/WHO/UNU equations overestimate resting metabolic rate in Vietnamese adults

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages 1099–1104 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate the FAO/WHO/UNU equations for predicting resting metabolic rate (RMR) in Vietnamese adults.

Design:

A cross-sectional study with healthy subjects was carried out at the Basic Nutrition Department, National Institute of Nutrition, Vietnam. RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry, and anthropometric indices were recorded. Equations derived by linear regression of RMR vs body weight were compared to the FAO/WHO/UNU 1985 predictive equations.

Subjects:

A total of 188 subjects (98 males and 90 females) had a normal body mass index (BMI) and were divided into four groups by sex and age (male and female subjects 18–29 and 30–60 y old).

Results:

Mean RMR (MJ/kg/day) in males was lightly significant by higher than that in female subjects in the 18–29 y old age group (0.1074±0.0100 vs 0.0965±0.0123) and the same result was seen in the 30–60 y old group (0.1018±0.0114 vs 0.0922±0.0129). However, differences were not statistically significant in the two age groups. Compared to the FAO/WHO/UNU equation, our findings were 7.4, 9.0, 11.7, and 13.5% lower in the four groups, respectively (P<0.001).

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest that the FAO/WHO/UNU equations may overestimate RMR in Vietnamese adults. Further studies examining the relationship between body weight and RMR are needed, and establishing new predictive equations for RMR in Vietnamese should be a priority.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bland JM & Altman DG (1986): Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet i, 307–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark HD & Hoffer LF (1991): Reappraisal of the resting metabolic rate of normal young men. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 53, 21–26.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • De Lorenzo A, Andreoli A, Bertoli S, Testolin G, Oriani G & Deurenberg P (2000): Resting metabolic rate in Italians: relation with body composition and anthropometric parameters. Acta Diab. 37, 77–81.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Deurenberg YM, Tan BY, Chew SK, Deurenberg P & van Staveren W (1999): Manifestation of cardiovascular risk factors at low level of body mass index and waist-hip ratio in Singaporean Chinese. Asia Pacific J. Clin. Nutr. 8, 177–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giay T, Khoi HH, Lien DTK, Lap CQ & Ngu T (1997): The Recommended Nutrition Allowance for Vietnamese, pp 10–11. Hanoi: Medical Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayter JE & Henry CJK (1993): Basal metabolic rate in human subjects migrating between tropical and temperate regions: a longitudinal study and review of previous work. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 47, 724–734.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hayter JE & Henry CJK (1994): A re-examination of basal metabolic rate predictive equations: the importance of geographic origin of subjects in sample selection. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 48, 702–707.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Henry CJK & Rees DG (1991): New predictive equations for the estimation of basal metabolic rate in tropical peoples. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 45, 177–185.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ismail MN, Ng KK, Chee SS, Roslee R & Zawiah H (1998): Predictive equations for the estimation of basal metabolic rate in Malaysian adult. Malay. J. Nutr. 4, 81–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khoi HH (1996): Problems of Nutrition in Transition Period, pp 153–266. Hanoi: Medical Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khoi HH, Khan NC, Mai LB & Tuyen LD (2003): General Nutrition Survey 2000, pp 21–37. Hanoi: Medical Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ko GTC, Chan JCN, Cockram CS & Woo J (1999): Prediction of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia or albuminuria using simple anthropometric indexes in Hong Kong Chinese. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 23, 1136–1142.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Levy PS & Lemeshow S (1999): Sampling of Populations. Methods and Applications, 3rd Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, INC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Health-Vietnam (MOH) (2003): Manual for the Control and Prevention of the Affection of Tobacco in Vietnam. Hanoi: Medical Publishing House.

  • National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) (2001): National Nutrition Strategy, pp 14–19. Hanoi: Medical Publishing House.

  • Piers LS & Shetty PS (1993): Basal metabolic rates of Indian women. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 47, 586–591.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schofield WN (1985): Predicting basal metabolic rate, new standards and review of previous work. Hum. Nutr. Clin. Nutr. 39 (Suppl 1), 5–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shetty PS, Henry CJK, Black AE & Prentice AM (1996): Energy requirements of adults: an update on basal metabolic rates (BMRs) and physical activity levels (PAL). Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 50 (Suppl 1), S21–S23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siervo M, Boschi V & Falconi C (2003): Which REE prediction equation should we use in normal-weight, overweight and obese women? Clin. Nutr. 22 (2), 193–204.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Soares MJ, Francis DG & Shetty PS (1993): Predictive equations for basal metabolic rates of Indian males. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 47, 389–394.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Valencia ME, Moya SY, McNeill G & Haggarty P (1994): Basal metabolic rate and body fatness of adult men in northern Mexico. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 48 (3), 205–211.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weir JBD (1949): New methods for calculating metabolic rate with special reference to protein metabolism. J. Physiol. 109, 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weir JBD (1990): New methods for calculating metabolic rate with special reference to protein metabolism. Nuture 6, 213–223.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • William DM, Frank IK & Victor LK (1991): Exercise Physiology, 3rd Edition. London: Lea & Febiger.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the participants for their cooperation and the staff of the National Institute of Nutrition for their assistance. We are grateful to Mika Murata for her technical assistance in this survey. We also thank Jonathan Siekmann for help with the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan

    B T Nhung, V T T Hien, D Kunii, T Sakai, M Nakamori & S Yamamoto

  2. National Institute of Nutrition, Hanoi, Vietnam

    B T Nhung, N C Khan, L T Hop, D T K Lien & V T T Hien

  3. National Institutes of Health, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    D S N T Le

Authors
  1. B T Nhung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N C Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. L T Hop
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. D T K Lien
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. D S N T Le
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. V T T Hien
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. D Kunii
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. T Sakai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. M Nakamori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. S Yamamoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S Yamamoto.

Additional information

Guarantor: S Yamamoto.

Contributors: BTN, NCK, LTH, DTKL, DSNTL, VITH, DK, TS, MN, SY codesigned the study and contributed to the preparation of the manuscript. DK, TS, MN, SY provided resources used in data collection, and technical support. BTN, SY managed data collection, data analysis, and prepared the first and the final draft of the manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nhung, B., Khan, N., Hop, L. et al. FAO/WHO/UNU equations overestimate resting metabolic rate in Vietnamese adults. Eur J Clin Nutr 59, 1099–1104 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602199

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602199

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links