Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR is the rate at which a body uses up energy when completely at rest just to maintain vital function such as breathing, circulation, heartbeat, digestion and nervous activity. It is measured immediately after at least 8 hours of sleep and at least of fasting.
A key regulator of BMR is thyroxin, a hormone produced by the thyroid gland.
BMR varies from person to person depending on how much energy a person uses when resting with a change in circumstance or physical condition. Because muscle has high metabolic activity, the BMR is directly related to an individual fat free mass and is generally reported in calorie per pound of body weight per hour.
For most part, the BMR is highest in people who are growing e.g. children, adolescent and pregnant women and in those with considerable lean body mass such as physically fit people and males.
The more a person weighs, the more total energy is expended on basal metabolic, but the amount of energy per pound of body weight may be lower.
One way to increase the BMR is to maximize lean body tissue by participating regularly in endurance and strength building activities.
BMR gradually decreases with increasing age, generally because of a decrease in fat free mass.
BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate
