Changes of Basal Metabolic Rate in Man in Semistarvation and Refeeding

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Abstract
Basal heat production (BMR), total body water, extracellular fluid space and nitrogen balance were measured in 25 normal young men during control, semistarvation and recovery, in two experiments referred to as ‘54’ and ‘55.’ A normal diet was given during control and recovery. In semistarvation the diet consisted of carbohydrate plus a daily supplement of 4.5 gm NaCl and vitamins. The 13 men in 54 received daily 3280, 1010 and 5300 Calories during these periods and those (12) in 55 3966, 1000 and 5384 Calories. Physical activity, including treadmill walking costing about 1200 Calories daily during control, was constant throughout. ‘Cells’ was computed as gross weight less fat, extracellular fluid and bone mineral. The gross BMR decreased in all the subjects during semistarvation, the average decline being 17.1% after 19 days (54) and 21.4% after 13 days (55). The BMR was also decreased when computed per unit of gross weight, per unit of body surface, per unit of gross body weight to the 0.73 power and per unit of ‘cells.’ The average percentage decline being, respectively, 8.7, 13.4, 9.8 and 11.8 for experiment 54 and 14.2, 18.4, 15.9 and 16.6 for experiment 55. All P values for the differences are <0.001. After 1 week of refeeding the gross BMR returned precisely to the control value in each group and remained at that level until the end of the observations. Submitted on October 28, 1957