For those of you with access: Resting Energy Expenditure

Resting Energy Expenditure

Like the measurement of muscle mass, the use of fasting insulin level and the use of highly sensitive CRP, the measurement of resting energy expenditure is not a commonly used test in primary care practice.    This being said, it is a relatively simple test to do and the equipment used to the do measurement is not that expensive.  It is commonly measured in practices that focus exclusively on weight loss and some endocrinologists have access to the technology as well.  But increasingly, particularly with the advent of new and effective medicines for weight loss, the ability to measure resting energy expenditure seems to be surging.  So, you may well have access to this technology.  The measurement is done using a mask placed over the nose and mouth.  You breathe into the mask for several minutes and the consumption of oxygen and concentration of carbon dioxide in the air that you breathe out is used to directly calculate caloric consumption.  The major factors that affect resting energy expenditure are the muscle mass, body fat percentage and your age.  There also some differences for gender, ethnic group, race, stress level and stage of the menstrual cycle.  The resting metabolic rate can also be affected by hormones like the thyroid hormone level.  The resting metabolic rate can be predicted based on the weight and lean mass.  Typically, when resting energy expenditure is directly measured, you compare it to that prediction model and express it as a percentage above or below that prediction.

If you are lucky enough to have access to a way to measure your resting metabolic rate, you should do that now and enter the value in your notes or field journal.