Abstract
A study was conduct to examined the effect of physical activity and aerobic capacity (VO2 max) on basal metabolic rate (BMR) in elderly men and women aged 65-90 years living in a home for the elderly. In addition, variations of BMR in elderly people with regard to age group were examined. All subjects were healthy men (n=10) and women (n=15), and were classified into a 65-79-year-old group and an 80-and-over group. The mean and maximal heart rates in the 80-and-over group were significantly lower (10-20 beats) than in the 65-79-year-old group when awake. Energy expenditure and estimated VO2 max were significantly lower in the 80-and-over group than in the 65-79-year-old group. The average BMR/kg for men and women in the 65-79-year-old group was 19.7±2.6 and 21.1±4.2kcal, and for the 80-and-over group was 15.7±1.3 and 19.2±2.3kcal, respectively. BMR showed significant correlations with energy expenditure and estimated VO2 max (r=0.455 and r=0.429, p<0.05, respectively). It is thought that the BMR has decreased gradually over the years since the first report on BMR of elderly people was published in 1955. Also, BMR tends to be overestimated due to the use of a standard value, which would have been larger in the 80-and-over group compared with the 65-79-year-old group. It is concluded that physical activity and aerobic capacity of the elderly must be maintained and improved to prevent any decrease in BMR, and to promote a better quality of life (QOL).
