Objective: To detect predictive variables of weight changes in non-obese women.
Design: Three year follow-up study.
Subjects: Fifty-eight women (age 40.0+/-12.8 y, height 159+/-7 cm, weight 62.5+/-9.6 kg and body mass index ((BMI) 24.7+/-3.7 kg/m2).
Measurements: At baseline, basal metabolic rate (BMR) and respiratory quotient (RQ) by indirect calorimetry. Weight and BMI at baseline and after 3 y.
Results: In both univariate and multivariate analyses, age and RQ at baseline were significant predictors (P<0.05) of subsequent changes in weight and BMI.
Conclusion: In non-obese women, RQ and age are independent predictors of subsequent weight changes.