Centile reference chart for resting metabolic rate through the life course. ...

OBJECTIVE: Reference centile charts are widely used for the assessment of growth and have progressed from describing height and weight to include body composition variables such as fat and lean mass. Here, we present centile charts for an index of resting energy expenditure (REE) or metabolic rate, adjusted for lean mass versus age, including both children and adults across the life course. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: Measurements of REE by indirect calorimetry and body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were made in 411 healthy children and adults (age range 6-64 years) and serially in a patient with resistance to thyroid hormone α (RTHα) between age 15 and 21 years during thyroxine therapy. SETTING: NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility, UK. RESULTS: The centile chart indicates substantial variability, with the REE index ranging between 0.41 and 0.59 units at age 6 years, and 0.28 and 0.40 units at age 25 years (2nd and 98th centile, respectively). The 50th centile of the ...