Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T01:09:14.510Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Intra-individual variation in resting metabolic rate during the menstrual cycle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

C. Jeya K. Henry ,
Helen J. Lightowler  and
Jonathan Marchini
C. Jeya K. Henry*
Affiliation:
Nutrition and Food Science Group, School of Biological and Molecular Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane Campus, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
Helen J. Lightowler
Affiliation:
Nutrition and Food Science Group, School of Biological and Molecular Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane Campus, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
Jonathan Marchini
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3TG, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Professor Jeya Henry, fax +44 1865 484017, email jhenry@brookes.ac.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Little information exists on the extent of day-to-day intra-individual variation in resting metabolic rate (RMR) in women. The present study has investigated the intra-individual variation in RMR of women during the menstrual cycle. Nineteen women (naturally cycling non-pill users) were recruited to the study. Anthropometric and RMR measurements were taken at least three times per week for the duration of one complete menstrual cycle; measurements were taken for a second, consecutive cycle in eight of the nineteen subjects. RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry using a ventilated hood system under standardized conditions. The measurements made throughout each complete menstrual cycle were averaged and the levels of inter- and intra-individual variation in RMR were assessed by determining the CV (%). Mean RMR of the group was 5686 (SD 674) kJ/d; inter-individual variation in RMR was 11·8 %. There were wide differences in the intra-individual variation in RMR of women (CV range 1·7–10·4 %). The CV in ten subjects was small (2–4 %), while the CV in nine women was high (5–10 %), indicating a significant variation in RMR during the menstrual cycle in certain subjects. Using statistical models, it has been shown that there was a significant effect on RMR due to a subject-specific level of variability; this was the case even when accounting for a possible training effect. In conclusion, the findings from our present study show that RMR cannot be assumed to be ‘stable’ in all women. The implications of intra-individual variation in RMR and its impact on energy balance needs further research.

Keywords

Resting metabolic rateIntra-individual variationMenstrual cycle
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 89 , Issue 6 , June 2003 , pp. 811 - 817
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2003

References

Blunt, K & Dye, M (1921) Basal metabolism of normal women. Journal of Biological Chemistry 47, 69–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bray, GA (1997) Historical framework for the development of ideas about obesity. In Handbook of Obesity. pp 1–30. [Bray, GA, Bouchard, C & James, WPT, editors]. New York: Marcel Dekker.Google Scholar
Curtis, V, Henry, CJK, Birch, E & Ghusain-Choueiri, A (1996 a) Intraindividual variation in the basal metabolic rate of women: effect of the menstrual cycle. American Journal of Human Biology 8, 631–639.3.0.CO;2-Y>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Curtis, V, Henry, CJK & Ghusain-Choueiri, A (1996 b) Basal metabolic rate of women on the contraceptive pill. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50, 319–322.Google ScholarPubMed
Durnin, JVGA & Womersley, J (1974) Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 years. British Journal of Nutrition 32, 77–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Erens, B & Primatesta, P (1999) Health Survey for England: Cardiovascular Disease 98. London: The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (1985) Energy and Protein Requirements. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation. Technical Report Series no. 724. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Gibson, RS (1991) Principles of Nutritional Assessment. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Henry, CJK, Hayter, J & Rees, DG (1989) The constancy of basal metabolic rate in free-living male subjects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 43, 727–731.Google ScholarPubMed
Hitchcock, FA & Wardwell, FR (1929) Cyclic variations in the basal metabolic rate of women. Journal of Nutrition 2, 203–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howe, JC, Rumpler, WV & Seale, JL (1993) Energy expenditure by indirect calorimetry in premenopausal women – variation within one menstrual cycle. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 4, 268–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, WPT & Ralph, A (1999) New understanding in obesity research. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 58, 385–393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meijer, GAL, Westerterp, KR, Saris, WHM & Tenhoor, F (1992) Sleeping metabolic rate in relation to body composition and the menstrual cycle. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 55, 637–640.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piers, LS, Diggavi, SN, Rijskamp, J, Vanraaij, JMA, Shetty, PS & Hautvast, J (1995) Resting metabolic rate and thermal effect of a meal in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle in well nourished Indian women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61, 296–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinheiro, JC & Bates, DM (2000) Mixed-Effects Models in S and S-PLUS. New York: Springer–Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shetty, PS & Soares, MJ (1988) Variability in basal metabolic rates of man. In Comparative Nutrition, pp. 141–148 [Blaxter, K and Macdonald, I, editors]. London: John Libbey.Google Scholar
Soares, MJ, Piers, LS, Kraai, L & Shetty, PS (1989) Day-to-day variations in basal metabolic rates and energy intakes of human subjects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 43, 465–472.Google ScholarPubMed
Soares, MJ & Shetty, PS (1986) Intra-individual variations in resting metabolic rates of human subjects. Human Nutrition: Clinical Nutrition 40C, 365–369.Google ScholarPubMed
Solomon, SJ, Kurzer, MS & Calloway, DH (1982) Menstrual cycle and basal metabolic rate in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 36, 611–616.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spurr, GB, Dufour, DL, Reina, JC, Hoffmann, RG, Waslien, CI & Staten, LK (1994) Variation of the basal metabolic rate and dietary energy intake of Colombian women during 1 y. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 59, 20–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
The R Project for Statistical Computing (2002) http://www.r-project.org.Google Scholar
Ulijaszek, SJ & Kerr, DA (1999) Anthropometric measurement error and the assessment of nutritional status. British Journal of Nutrition 82, 165–177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wakeham, G (1923) Basal metabolism and the menstrual cycle. Journal of Biological Chemistry 56, 555–567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weststrate, JA (1993) Resting metabolic rate and diet-induced thermogenesis: a methodological reappraisal. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 58, 592–601.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wiltshire, MOP (1921) Some observations on basal metabolism in menstruation. Lancet 2, 388–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar