Gender differences in energy expended during activities and in daily energy expenditure of elderly people. Morio, B[acute]eatrice, Bernard Beaufr[grave]ere, Christophe Montaurier, Elisabeth Verdier, Patrick Ritz, Nicole Fellmann, Yves Boirie, and Michel Vermorel. CRNH, Laboratoire de Nutrition Humaine, BP 321 - 58 rue Montalembert, 63009 Clermont-Ferrand c[acute]edex 1, France, Laboratoire de Physiologie et Biologie du Sport, Facult[acute]e de M[acute]edecine, Universit[acute]e d'Auvergne, BP 38, 63000 Clermont Ferrand, France, INRA, UR M[acute]etabolismes En[acute]erg[acute]etique et Lipidique, 63122 Saint-Gen[grave]es -Champanelle, France
APStracts 4:0104E, 1997.
Gender effects on energy expended during light seated activities, walking, cycling and sleep and their consequences on daily energy expenditure (EE) were examined in 11 men and 15 women aged 66.4 +/- 7.1 years. Two open-circuit whole-body calorimeters were used for EE measurements, except for cycling where EE was measured separately using a face mask. Lean body mass (determined using H218O dilution method), fat mass, usual physical activity level and activity intensity (walking speed, cycling power output) were taken as covariates in the analysis of EE variations before studying gender effects. Sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) and daily EE adjusted for differences in all covariates, were 11.2% (P=0.005) and 8.7% (P=0.071) lower in women than in men, respectively. No gender differences were found in the various physical activity-EE above SMR (e.g. gross EE minus SMR) [light seated activities (P=0.790), walking (P=0.263), cycling (P=0.287)] and daily physical activity-EE above SMR (P=0.587) after adjustment for differences in all covariates. Therefore, the lower adjusted daily EE of women could be related to their lower SMR, the most reliable criterion of whole-body metabolic rate.

Received 7 November 1996; accepted in final form 16 April 1997.
APS Manuscript Number E561-6.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Endocrinol. Metab.).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1997 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 13 May 1997