Daily energy expenditure through the human life course
Herman Pontzer, Yosuke Yamada, Hiroyuki Sagayama, Philip N. Ainslie, Lene Frost Andersen, Liam Anderson, Lenore Arab, Issad Baddou, Kweku Bedu-Addo, Ellen E. Blaak, Stéphane Blanc, A. Bonomi, Carlijn V. C. Bouten, Pascal Bovet, Maciej S. Buchowski, Nancy F. Butte, Stefan Gerardus Camps, Graeme L. Close, Jamie A. Cooper, Richard Cooper, Sai Krupa Das, Lara R. Dugas, Ulf Ekelund, Sonja Entringer, Terrence Forrester, Barry W. Fudge, Annelies Goris, Michael Gurven, Catherine Hambly, Asmaa El Hamdouchi, Marjije B. Hoos, Sumei Hu, Noorjehan Joonas, Annemiek M. Joosen, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Kitty P. Kempen, Misaka Kimura, William E. Kraus, Robert F. Kushner, Estelle V. Lambert, William R. Leonard, Nader Lessan, Corby K. Martin, Anine Christine Medin, Erwin P. Meijer, James C. Morehen, James P. Morton, Marian L. Neuhouser, Teresa A. Nicklas, Robert Ojiambo, Kirsi H. Pietiläinen, Yannis Pitsiladis, Jacob Plange‐Rhule, Guy Plasqui, Ross L. Prentice, Roberto Rabinovich, Susan B. Racette, David A. Raichlen, Éric Ravussin, Rebecca M. Reynolds, Susan B. Roberts, Albertine J. Schuit, Anders Sjödin, Eric Stice, Samuel S. Urlacher, Giulio Valenti, Ludo M. Van Etten, Edgar van Mil, Jonathan C. K. Wells, George Wilson, Brian M. Wood, Jack A. Yanovski, Tsukasa Yoshida, Xueying Zhang, Alexia J. Murphy‐Alford, Cornelia Loechl, Amy Luke, Jennifer Rood, Dale A. Schoeller, Klaas R. Westerterp, William W. Wong, John R. Speakman
Abstract
Total daily energy expenditure ("total expenditure") reflects daily energy needs and is a critical variable in human health and physiology, but its trajectory over the life course is poorly studied. We analyzed a large, diverse database of total expenditure measured by the doubly labeled water method for males and females aged 8 days to 95 years. Total expenditure increased with fat-free mass in a power-law manner, with four distinct life stages. Fat-free mass-adjusted expenditure accelerates rapidly in neonates to ~50% above adult values at ~1 year; declines slowly to adult levels by ~20 years; remains stable in adulthood (20 to 60 years), even during pregnancy; then declines in older adults. These changes shed light on human development and aging and should help shape nutrition and health strategies across the life span.