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Let us make an in-depth study of the basal metabolic rate (BMR). After reading this article you will learn about 1. Definition of BMR 2. Factors Influencing BMR and 3. Significance of BMR.
Definition of BMR:
Basal metabolic rate is the energy released when the subject is at complete mental and physical rest i.e. in a room with comfortable temperature and humidity, awake and sitting in a reclining position, 10-12 hours after the last meal. It is essentially the minimum energy required to maintain the heart rate, respiration, kidney function etc.
The B.M.R. of an average Indian man is 1750-1900 Kcal/day. In terms of oxygen consumption it would amount to about 15 litre/hr. Heavily built persons have higher BMRs, but the BMR per unit body weight is higher in the smaller built individuals ex. although the BMR of a man as given above is higher than that of a boy of 15 kg body weight that spends about 800 Kcal/day for its basal metabolism, the BMR per kg/day of man is about 30 Kcal, while that of the boy is about 53 Kcal/kg/day.
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The variable that correlates most with the BMR is the surface area of the body. Thus in case of both boy and man the BMR is around 1000 Kcal/m2 body surface/day.
In case of human beings body surface area can be calculated by the following formula:
S = 0.007184 x W0.425 x h0.725
where
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S = surface area in sq metres
W = body weight in kg and
H = height in cm
Factors Influencing BMR:
There are many factors that affect the BMR. These include body temperature, age, sex, race, emotional state, climate and circulating levels of hormones like catecholamine’s (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and those secreted by the thyroid gland.
1. Genetics (Race):
Some people are born with faster metabolism and some with slower metabolism. Indians and Chinese seem to have a lower BMR than the Europeans. This may as well be due to dietary differences between these races. Higher BMR exists in individuals living in tropical climates. Ex. Singapore.
2. Gender:
Men have a greater muscle mass and a lower body fat percentage. Thus men have a higher basal metabolic rate than women. The BMR of females declines more rapidly between the ages of 5 and 17 than that of males.
3. Age:
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BMR reduces with age i.e. it is inversely proportional to age. Children have higher BMR than adults. After 20 years, it drops about 2 per cent, per decade.
4. Weight:
The heavier the weight, the higher the BMR, ex. the metabolic rate of obese women is 25 percent higher than that of thin women.
5. Body surface area:
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This is a reflection of the height and weight. The greater the body surface area factor, the higher the BMR. Tall, thin people have higher BMRs. When a tall person is compared with a short person of equal weight, then if they both follow a diet calorie-controlled to maintain the weight of the taller person, the shorter person may gain up to 15 pounds in a year.
6. Body fat percentage:
The lower the body fat percentage, the higher the BMR. The lower body fat percentage in the male body is one reason why men generally have a 10-15% higher BMR than women.
7. Diet:
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Starvation or serious abrupt calorie-reduction can dramatically reduce BMR by up to 30%. Restrictive low-calorie weight loss diets may cause BMR to drop as much as 20%. BMR of strict vegetarians is 11% lower than that of meat eaters.
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8. Body temperature/health:
For every increase of 0.5° C in internal temperature of the body, the BMR increases by about 7 percent. The chemical reactions in the body actually occur more quickly at higher temperatures. So a patient with a fever of 42° C (about 4° C above normal) would have an increase of about 50 percent in BMR. An increase in body temperature as a result of fever increases the BMR by 14-15% per degree centigrade which evidently, is due to the increased rate of metabolic reactions of the body.
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9. External temperature:
Temperature outside the body also affects basal metabolic rate. Exposure to cold temperature causes an increase in the BMR, so as to create the extra heat needed to maintain the body’s internal temperature. A short exposure to hot temperature has little effect on the body’s metabolism as it is compensated mainly by increased heat loss. But prolonged exposure to heat can raise BMR.
10. Glands:
Thyroxine is a key BMR-regulator which speeds up the metabolic activity of the body. The more thyroxine produced, the higher the BMR. If too much thyroxine is produced (thyrotoxicosis) BMR can actually double. If too little thyroxine is produced (myxoedema) BMR may shrink to 30-40 percent of normal rate. Like thyroxine, adrenaline also increases the BMR but to a lesser extent. Anxiety and tension may not show on the face but they do produce an increased tensing of the muscles and release of norepinephrine even though the subject is seemingly quiet. Both these factors tend to increase the metabolic rate.
11. Exercise:
Physical exercise not only influences body weight by burning calories, it also helps raise the BMR by building extra lean tissue. (Lean tissue is more metabolically demanding than fat tissue.) So more calories are burnt even when sleeping.
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12. Pregnancy:
The BMR is not changed during pregnancy. The higher value of BMR in late pregnancy is due to the BMR of the foetus.
Significance of BMR:
1. The determination of BMR is the principal guide for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders.
2. If BMR is less than 10% of the normal, it indicates moderate hypothyroidism. In severe hypothyroidism, the BMR may be decreased to 40 to 50 percent below normal.
3. BMR aids to know the total amount of food or calories required to maintain body weight.
4. The BMR is low in starvation, under nutrition, hypothalamic disorders, Addison’s disease and lipoid nephrosis.
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5. The BMR is above normal in fever, diabetes insipidus, leukemia and polycythemia.
