Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBMRIdeal BMR RangesRaising or Lowering ItMetabolism Support
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
BMR
Ideal BMR Ranges
Raising or Lowering It
Metabolism Support
The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest. Even when not moving, the body needs a certain number of calories to maintain basic functions such as breathing, cell production, and circulation. You may be interested in understanding or calculating your basal metabolic rate or in learning how to raise it or fix it.
What Is My Basal Metabolic Rate?
“Basal” means the base or the bottom layer. “Metabolic” is the body’s process of turning the food eaten into energy it can use. The BMR is the energy (calories) the body needs to power its basic needs. The BMR accounts for 60% to 75% of the calories the body burns each day.
What Is Resting Metabolic Rate?Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is another measurement of daily calories needed. The difference is that RMR may include some limited activity. The RMR includes the calories burned for doing things that require a small amount of effort during the day, such as walking from room to room.
What Is Resting Metabolic Rate?
Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is another measurement of daily calories needed. The difference is that RMR may include some limited activity. The RMR includes the calories burned for doing things that require a small amount of effort during the day, such as walking from room to room.
Importance and Effects
BMR is an important tool in understanding your current weight and how you may be able to alter it. For instance, tochange your weightor gain muscle mass, you will need to know how manycaloriesto add or eliminate from your diet.
Starting with the BMR will help you understand how to alter the calories you consume through food and drink every day to change your body composition.
The importance of BMR goes beyond a person’s weight. BMR may also be related to the development of certain diseases and the risk of death. A higher BMR may be associated with some diseases and conditions, but data is conflicting for some of these conditions, and it is not always clear how or why this happens.
Calculating BMR Based on Age
Many calculators are available to estimate a person’s BMR. Several factors go into calculating BMR, including:
The Harris-Benedict equation is one way to calculate BMR. This equation has been tested, tweaked, and re-evaluated over the years. Other calculators are sometimes used as well.
Several criticisms of BMR equations exist, including the fact that most of them were developed in the Western world and may not accurately represent people of all races and ethnicities.
The Harris-Benedict equation is:
Online calculators are available where you can input your height in feet and inches and weight in pounds.
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
An ideal BMR is individualized and will depend on a person’s goals to maintain or change their body composition. Knowing the average BMR for your sex assigned at birth, age, and weight is worth knowing. Understanding the average may help in making adjustments to lifestyle and diet when desired.
What Changes BMR Ranges
BMR is different for everyone, and using a reliable calculator is the best way to determine it. Even then, there can be inaccuracies. However, a BMR equation can help give a starting point to understand where to begin making changes to try to alter BMR.
BMR will change over a person’s lifetime. Younger people tend to have higher BMRs and calorie needs overall, especially during childhood. As people get older, their BMR generally lowers. People assigned male at birth tend to have a higher BMR than those assigned female. Weight can also affect BMR, with increased weight associated with a higher BMR.
Diseases and conditions that may affect BMR include:
How to Raise or Lower Your BMR
For Weight Loss
Some habits may help inincreasing the BMRin small amounts, including:
For Weight Gain
Unintended weight losscan be associated with a disease or health condition, so discuss your loss of unexplained weight loss with a healthcare provider. It’s often recommended that people who are underweight or malnourished make necessary lifestyle changes and get appropriate medical care to treat any underlying health conditions causing the low weight.
For Maintaining Weight
To maintain a current weight, it’s important to factor in BMR plus any current activities. Participating in higher-intensity physical activity will mean that more calories are needed to maintain weight. Estimating the calories needed every day may help to avoid either unintentionally increasing or losing weight.
A person mustconsume enough caloriesto fulfill their BMR plus any calories burned during daily activity.
One strategy to maintain weight is to eat a high-protein diet. Other strategies that may help include foods that are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon, flaxseed, and walnuts) and plant-based foods that contain polyphenols (generally brightly colored foods like berries, carrots, and spinach).
Other Ways to Support Optimal Metabolism
Metabolism is tied to many factors. Some of them are not under your control, such as age, height, or sex assigned at birth.Other factors may be modified, such as weight, muscle mass, and managing conditions that affect metabolism.
Consider these healthy lifestyle changes:
Summary
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is an important part of understanding how to reach health goals regarding weight and body composition. Changing diet and physical activity can alter a BMR, but there is a limit on how much these factors may help.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Pethusamy K, Gupta A, Yadav R.Basal metabolic rate(BMR). In: Vonk J, Shackelford T, eds. Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer International Publishing; 2019:1-3. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1429-1Zhao P, Han F, Liang X, et al.Causal effects of basal metabolic rate on cardiovascular disease: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.J Am Heart Assoc. 2024;13:e031447. doi:10.1161/JAHA.123.031447Vásquez-Alvarez S, Bustamante-Villagomez SK, Vazquez-Marroquin G, et al.Metabolic age, an index based on basal metabolic rate, can predict individuals that are high risk of developing metabolic syndrome.High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev. 2021;28:263-270. doi:10.1007/s40292-021-00441-1Pavlidou E, Papadopoulou SK, Seroglou K, Giaginis C.Revised Harris-Benedict equation: new human resting metabolic rate equation.Metabolites. 2023;13:189. doi:10.3390/metabo13020189Harris JA, Benedict FG.A biometric study of human basal metabolism.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.1918;4:370-373. doi:10.1073/pnas.4.12.370Joint WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation.Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 2007;(935):1160.Zhou C, Peng Y, Zhan L, Zha Y.Causal relationship between basal metabolic rate and kidney function: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024;15:1319753. doi:10.3389/fendo.2024.1319753MedlinePlus.Can you boost your metabolism?Wang M, Guo W, Chen JF.Caffeine: a potential mechanism for anti-obesity.Purinergic Signal. doi:10.1007/s11302-024-10022-1Zeratsky K.What’s a good way to gain weight if you’re underweight?Mayo Clinic.van Baak M, Mariman E.Dietary strategies for weight loss maintenance.Nutrients. 2019;11:1916. doi:10.2290/nu11081916
Pethusamy K, Gupta A, Yadav R.Basal metabolic rate(BMR). In: Vonk J, Shackelford T, eds. Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer International Publishing; 2019:1-3. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1429-1
Zhao P, Han F, Liang X, et al.Causal effects of basal metabolic rate on cardiovascular disease: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.J Am Heart Assoc. 2024;13:e031447. doi:10.1161/JAHA.123.031447
Vásquez-Alvarez S, Bustamante-Villagomez SK, Vazquez-Marroquin G, et al.Metabolic age, an index based on basal metabolic rate, can predict individuals that are high risk of developing metabolic syndrome.High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev. 2021;28:263-270. doi:10.1007/s40292-021-00441-1
Pavlidou E, Papadopoulou SK, Seroglou K, Giaginis C.Revised Harris-Benedict equation: new human resting metabolic rate equation.Metabolites. 2023;13:189. doi:10.3390/metabo13020189
Harris JA, Benedict FG.A biometric study of human basal metabolism.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.1918;4:370-373. doi:10.1073/pnas.4.12.370
Joint WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation.Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 2007;(935):1160.
Zhou C, Peng Y, Zhan L, Zha Y.Causal relationship between basal metabolic rate and kidney function: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024;15:1319753. doi:10.3389/fendo.2024.1319753
MedlinePlus.Can you boost your metabolism?
Wang M, Guo W, Chen JF.Caffeine: a potential mechanism for anti-obesity.Purinergic Signal. doi:10.1007/s11302-024-10022-1
Zeratsky K.What’s a good way to gain weight if you’re underweight?Mayo Clinic.
van Baak M, Mariman E.Dietary strategies for weight loss maintenance.Nutrients. 2019;11:1916. doi:10.2290/nu11081916
Camacho-Cardenosa A, Camacho-Cardenosa M, Burtscher M, et al.High-Intensity Interval Training in Normobaric Hypoxia Leads to Greater Body Fat Loss in Overweight/Obese Women than High-Intensity Interval Training in Normoxia.Front Physiol. 2018;9:60. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.00060
Flores Ruano T, Hoogendijk EO, Romero Rizos L, et al.Resting metabolic rate in relation to incident disability and mobility decline among older adults: the modifying role of frailty.Aging Clin Exp Res. 2023;35(3):591-598. doi:10.1007/s40520-022-02340-4
McMurray RG, Soares J, Caspersen CJ, McCurdy T.Examining variations of resting metabolic rate of adults: a public health perspective.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2014;46(7):1352-1358. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000232
McNab BK.What determines the basal rate of metabolism?J Exp Biol. 2019;222(Pt 15):jeb205591. Published 2019 Aug 6. doi:10.1242/jeb.205591
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