Resting Metabolic Rate and Health

Dear Colleagues,

In humans, the resting metabolic rate normally accounts for 60–70% of energy expenditure over 24 hours (e.g., in healthy sedentary adults). In simple terms, among other metabolic implications, a low resting metabolic rate (or a low energy expenditure while resting) could be considered as an indicator of potential weight (re)gain in the future, as suggested by the previous literature.

However, the studying of resting metabolic rate and its association with health outcomes, as well as other metabolic complications, presents several challenges for the field of human metabolism. It is imperative for researchers and clinicians to determine resting metabolic rate accurately and reproducibly in humans. Therefore, novel research studies and approaches are necessary to integrate both existing and new information on human resting metabolism and its relationship(s) with biomarkers related to human health.

This Special Issue of Metabolites will be dedicated to extensive applications of resting metabolic rate assessments, as well as related methodological perspectives that may be of interest for the resting metabolic rate assessment field. The topics that will be covered by this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the relationship between resting metabolic rate and health-related biomarkers, metabolic implications of the resting metabolic rate, and other methodology aspects to improve the resting metabolic rate assessments. Manuscripts dealing with other challenging issues are also highly desired.

Dr. Juan M. A. Alcantara
Dr. Abel Plaza-Florido
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• basal metabolic rate
• resting metabolic rate
• indirect calorimetry
• metabolic cart
• energy expenditure
• BMR
• RMR
• EE

Title: The assessed-to-estimated resting metabolic rate ratio as a potential indicator of cardiometabolic risk in young adults
Authors: Dr. Juan M. A. Alcantara
Affiliation: 1. Institute for Innovation & Sustainable Food Chain Development, Department of Health Sciences, Public University of Navarre, Campus Arrosadía, s/n, 31006 Pamplona, Spain 2. Navarra Institute for Health Research, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
Abstract: Previous literature has demonstrated a relationship between energy deficiency and health-related issues, such as an elevated risk of bone injuries and menstrual cycle disorders, among athletes. The Assessed-to-Estimated Resting Metabolic Rate Ratio (hereinafter referred to as the "RMR ratio") is calculated using objectively assessed resting metabolic rate (RMR) through indirect calorimetry and estimated RMR using predictive equations. However, whether the RMR ratio can serve as an indicator of cardiometabolic risk in normal populations, especially young adults, remains relatively unexplored. Consequently, we evaluated the RMR of 107 young adults using indirect calorimetry and subsequently computed the RMR ratio. Our findings indicate a positive association between the RMR ratio and mean resting heart rate, as well as HDL-C. Additionally, a borderline association was identified between the RMR ratio and cardiorespiratory fitness relative to participants’ body weight. Conversely, the RMR ratio displayed a negative association with body weight, waist circumference, total fat mass (as determined by DXA), fasting insulin levels, HOMA index, and two distinct cardiometabolic risk scores that we calculated. Furthermore, this negative association, coupled with a trend toward significance, was evident between the RMR ratio and parameters such as fat mass index, body fat percentage (both assessed by DXA), and vagal-related heart rate variability parameters. To further investigate our results, we conducted separate analyses for each sex, thus, we repeated these associations for men and women separately. For men, we noted a negative association between the RMR ratio and waist circumference, total fat mass, fat mass index, fat mass percentage, and a borderline relationship with cardiorespiratory fitness relative to participants’ body weight. Among women, we observed a positive link between the RMR ratio and the mean resting heart rate. In conclusion, our results suggest that the RMR ratio might serve as a promising indicator of cardiometabolic risk in young adults. This warrants further investigation to validate its potential utility in clinical practice.