Characterizing the resting metabolic rate ratio in ovulatory exercising women over 12 months

Abstract

Purpose: A reduced resting metabolic rate (RMR) ratio and suppressed total triiodothyronine (TT₃ ) have been demonstrated to reflect metabolic compensation to chronic energy deficiency. However, it is unknown whether the relationship between RMR ratio and TT₃ remains constant over time.

Objective: To examine the relationship between RMR ratio and TT₃ in free-living exercising, ovulatory, weight-stable women (n = 14) for a 12-month observational period.

Methods: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and indirect calorimetry provided data on anthropometrics and energy expenditure. Harris-Benedict_, DXA, and Cunningham (1980 and 1991) equations estimated RMR and RMR ratio (measured RMR/predicted RMR). Repeated measures analysis assessed changes over time (ANOVA and Friedman). Generalized linear modeling tested whether RMR ratio threshold predicted TT₃ > 73.2 ng/dL or TT₃ > 80 ng/dL over 12-months.

Results: Women were 25.9 ± 5.4 years, weighed 59.6 ± 5.2 kg with BMI 22.3 ± 1.4 kg/m² at baseline, which remained constant throughout the study (weight: P = .523; BMI: P = .511). There was no significant effect of time for RMR (P = .886), TT₃ (P = .890), energy availability (P = .212), and RMR ratio (Harris-Benedict: P = .852; DXA: P = .607; Cunningham₁₉₈₀ : P = .754; Cunningham₁₉₉₁ : P = .739). When TT₃ > 73.2 ng/dL, each RMR ratio threshold (Harris-Benedict: P = .021; DXA: P = .019; Cunningham₁₉₈₀ : P = .019; Cunningham₁₉₉₁ : P = .016) significantly predicted participants as energy replete; however, when using a more lenient clinical TT₃ threshold of >80 ng/dL, only the DXA ratio threshold yielded a significant prediction of TT₃ (P < .001).

Conclusions: The relationship between RMR ratio and TT₃ remains significant and consistent over time in free-living exercising women, validating the use of RMR ratio for the longitudinal characterization of energetic status in this population (ie, prospective serial monitoring).

Keywords: energy deficiency; female athlete triad; metabolism; resting metabolic rate.