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Energy balance in healthy elderly women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

J. J. Reilly ,
A. Lord ,
V. W. Bunker ,
A. M. Prentice ,
W. A. Coward ,
A. J. Thomas  and
R. S. Briggs
J. J. Reilly
Affiliation:
University Geriatric Medicine Group, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO9 4XY
A. Lord
Affiliation:
University Geriatric Medicine Group, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO9 4XY
V. W. Bunker
Affiliation:
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2D7
A. M. Prentice
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge CB2 lQL
W. A. Coward
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge CB2 lQL
A. J. Thomas
Affiliation:
University Geriatric Medicine Group, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO9 4XY
R. S. Briggs
Affiliation:
University Geriatric Medicine Group, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO9 4XY
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Abstract

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There is a paucity of data on which to base estimates of the energy requirements of the elderly. In general, ageing appears to be associated with a reduction in energy requirement arising from a reduction in physical activity and loss of fat-free mass. The aim of the present study was to measure the total energy expenditure (TEE), basal metabolic rate (BMR), and energy expended on physical activity (calculated as TEE–BMR) in a group of healthy elderly women living in the community in Southampton. Mean rates of TEE (9.21 (SD 1.48) MJd) and energy expended on physical activity (4.12 (SD 1.19) MJ/d) were higher than those observed in some studies of younger adults in the UK, and higher than the factors used to estimate the average energy requirement for the elderly. The results suggest that an age-related reduction in energy requirement is not inevitable and support the hypothesis that the effects of ageing on physical activity, body composition, and hence energy requirements, are variable.

Keywords

Energy balanceAgeingHealthy elderly women
Type
Energy Balance and Nutrient Intakes
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 69 , Issue 1 , January 1993 , pp. 21 - 27
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1993

References

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