Evaluation of the heart rate method to determine the daily energy expenditure in disease. A study in juvenile diabetics

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Abstract
Three different methods for the determination of the daily energy expenditure in disease were evaluated. The methods were based on a heart rate technique that caused the least possible interference with the usual bahaviour of the patients. The study was performed on six juvenile diabetics in their homes and during a hospital stay of 3 weeks with sedentary as well as moderate physical activity. The daily energy supply derived from food analyses and urinary glucose losses, the body weight, and the total body potassium were followed. The three methods were: individual relationships between energy expenditure and heart rate with (method A) and without (method B) considering different body positions and the use of tabulated data on these relationships (method C). It was concluded that individual relationships had to be established and, furthermore, that these relationships must be determined within the whole activity area of the subjects. No consideration of the body position was found to be necessary. The blood glucose level had no influence on the energy expenditure or the heart rate. The activity of this group of diabetics was not significantly different from what is normally expected for healthy subjects under similar conditions. The proposed heart rate method was found applicable in sedentary as well as physically active persons and would be possible to use in other patient groups.

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