No major differences in energy metabolism between matched and unmatched groups of ‘large-eating’ and ‘small-eating’ men

Rates of energy expenditure (J/kg fat-free mass (FFM) per min) in normal weight, «small-eating» men were compared with those obtained for normal weight (n 8) and underweight (n 5) «large-eating» men. For the matched groups of «large-» and «small-eaters» there were no differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) measurements but during controlled daily activities there was a small but significant increase (P<0.05) in energy expenditure in the «large-eaters». These results contrast with those obtained for the unmatched groups where energy requirements were about 10% (P<0.01) higher in the underweight «large-eaters» at rest but were not different during the more energetic (walking) activities