Introduction: Accurate yet inexpensive methods for measuring free-living energy expenditure (EE) are much needed. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of heart-rate monitoring method (HRM) in measuring EE as compared to the established activity diary (AD) were used simultaneously in 34 young adults (18 females, 16 males, mean age 21.5 ± 1.5 years). Estimates of the EE from HRM were based on individually measured and published energy cost of various activities. Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and its components (EE during sleep, during rest and during physical activity) were compared using Student paired-t tests. Results: TDEE from HRM method averaged 8.17 ± 2.00 MJ/day compared to 8.50 ± 1.28 MJ/day from AD method. Although large intra-individual differences were found (ranging from -36.9% to 47.4%), there was no significant difference between the two methods (mean difference -3.6 ± 19.4%). The limits of agreement (mean ± 2SD) were -3.77 and 3.11 MJ/day. There were no significant differences for any of the TDEE components between the two methods, except for EE during sleep (p<0.05). Conclusion: HRM method was found to be a feasible method for assessment of EE, and was comparable to AD for group assessment of TDEE and its components

INTRODUCTIONThis study aimed to measure the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of elite athletes and develop a gender specific predictive equation to estimate their energy requirements.

METHODS92 men and 33 women (aged 18-31 years) from 15 sports, who had been training six hours daily for at least one year, were included in the study. Body composition was measured using the bioimpedance technique, and BMR by indirect calorimetry. The differences between measured and estimated BMR using various predictive equations were calculated. The novel equation derived from stepwise multiple regression was evaluated using Bland and Altman analysis.

RESULTSThe predictive equations of Cunningham and the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University either over- or underestimated the measured BMR by up to ± 6%, while the equations of Ismail et al, developed from the local non-athletic population, underestimated the measured BMR by 14%. The novel predictive equation for the BMR of athletes was BMR (kcal/day) = 669 + 13 (weight in kg) + 192 (gender: 1 for men and 0 for women) (R2 0.548; standard error of estimates 163 kcal). Predicted BMRs of elite athletes by this equation were within 1.2% ± 9.5% of the measured BMR values.

CONCLUSIONThe novel predictive equation presented in this study can be used to calculate BMR for adult Malaysian elite athletes. Further studies may be required to validate its predictive capabilities for other sports, nationalities and age groups.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Athletes ; Basal Metabolism ; Body Composition ; Body Weight ; Calorimetry, Indirect ; Energy Metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Malaysia ; Male ; Regression Analysis ; Sports ; Young Adult

Introduction: Access to accurate and timely dietary information is of paramount importance in evaluating and developing well-targeted public health nutrition interventions. However, nationwide nutrition surveys are conducted infrequently because they are very costly to design, conduct and analyse. Dietary assessment tools, which are quick and cost- effective, are needed for population research and regular monitoring of Malaysians’ dietary habits. This paper describes the rationale and methodology of the Malaysian Healthy Diet Online Survey (MHDOS) project, which aims to bridge this knowledge gap on dietary intake of Malaysian adults. The main objective of the two-year project is to develop MHDOS as a valid tool to measure compliance with the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2020. Methods: The MHDOS project has three study phases, namely (i) adaptation of an online survey and established diet quality scoring system for Malaysia, (ii) usability, validity and reliability testing of the online survey; and (iii) online survey administration in a nationwide study. The survey will be administered to approximately 10,000 Malaysian adults aged 18-59 years. Discussion: MHDOS consists of 38 questions that measures the quantity, quality and variety of foods consumed. Individuals will receive a diet quality score that reflects their overall compliance with the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines and feedback on how to improve their scores. The findings of the online survey, which serve to complement information between larger surveys, will be useful to measure compliance of Malaysians to national dietary guidelines and inform public health interventions.