Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Body Composition and Metabolic Caging Analysis in High Fat Fed Mice
Published on: May 24, 2018
Energy balance in healthy elderly women
J J Reilly1, A Lord, V W Bunker
1University Geriatric Medicine Group, Southampton General Hospital.
Abstract:
There is a paucity of data on which to base estimates of the energy requirements of the elderly. In general, ageing appears to be associated with a reduction in energy requirement arising from a reduction in physical activity and loss of fat-free mass. The aim of the present study was to measure the total energy expenditure (TEE), basal metabolic rate (BMR), and energy expended on physical activity (calculated as TEE-BMR) in a group of healthy elderly women living in the community in Southampton. Mean rates of TEE (9.21 (SD 1.48) MJ/d) and energy expended on physical activity (4.12 (SD 1.19) MJ/d) were higher than those observed in some studies of younger adults in the UK, and higher than the factors used to estimate the average energy requirement for the elderly. The results suggest that an age-related reduction in energy requirement is not inevitable and support the hypothesis that the effects of ageing on physical activity, body composition, and hence energy requirements, are variable.
Related Concept Videos
Energy Budgets and Reproductive Strategies
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Metabolic States of the Body: The Postabsorptive State
Initially, glycogen stored in the liver is broken down to release glucose into the bloodstream, while glycogen in the muscles is broken down to supply glucose for energy directly within the muscle cells. As glycogen stores diminish,...
Energy Balance
Metabolic Rate
The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) measures the energy expended at rest.
Several factors influence the...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution

