Caloric expenditure of normal and obese subjects during standard work test

¹ Department of Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas

The energy expenditure of 25 normal and 19 obese persons was determined during the basal state and during a standard work test using weight pulling by the counterbalanced untrained right arm. The energy expenditure of obese persons of both sexes was greater during both the basal period and the work period than that of the normal subjects. Comparison of the regression curves showed that the increasing energy expenditure for obese persons was due entirely to increase in the basal expenditure and that the actual energy expended for work was the same as that of the normals. When energy expenditure was compared with surface area males of greater surface area expend less energy for work while females of greater surface area expend more. Males consistently showed less energy expended during work than did females.