Energy expenditure evaluation in humans and non-human primates by SenseWear Armband. Validation of energy expenditure evaluation by SenseWear Armband by direct comparison with indirect calorimetry

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare and validate the use of SenseWear Armband (SWA) placed on the arm (SWA ARM) and on the back (SWA BACK) in healthy humans during resting and a cycle-ergometer exercise and to evaluate the SWA to estimate Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) and Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) in healthy baboons.

Methods: We studied 26 (15F/11M) human subjects wearing SWA in two different anatomical sites (arm and back) during resting and a cycle-ergometer test and directly compared these results with indirect calorimetry evaluation (IC), performed at the same time. We then inserted the SWA in a metabolic jacket for baboons and evaluated the TEE and REE in free living condition for 6 days in 21 (8F/13M) non-human primates.

Results: In humans we found a good correlation between SWA place on the ARM and on the BACK with IC during the resting experiment (1.1±0.3 SWAs, 1±0.2 IC kcal/min) and a slight underestimation in the SWAs data compared with IC during the cycle-ergometer exercise (5±1.9 SWA ARM, 4.5±1.5 SWA BACK and 5.4±2.1 IC kcal/min). In the non-human primate (baboons) experiment SWA estimated a TEE of 0.54±0.009 kcal/min during free living and a REE of 0.82±0.06 kcal/min.

Conclusion: SWA, an extremely simple and inexpensive apparatus, provides quite accurate measurements of energy expenditure in humans and in baboons. Energy expenditure data obtained with SWA are highly correlated with the data obtained with "gold standard", IC, in humans.

Figure 1. Human Resting.

In figure 1 (A) Pearson's correlations between the EE estimate by SWA ARM and BACK in all subjects, in (B) correlation between SWA ARM and IC and (C) correlation between SWA BACK and IC. In panel D EE data divided by IC, SWA ARM and SWA BACK (mean ± SEM). Bland-Altman bias plot between SWA estimate in the ARM (E) and in the BACK (F) compared with IC (IC) measurements of EE during 30 min of resting.

Figure 2. Human Exercise.

Pearson's correlation between SWA estimate in the ARM and in the BACK (A) with VO₂ measurement of EE during an incremental exercise on cycloergometer, correlation between SWA ARM and IC and (C) correlation between SWA BACK and IC. (D) EE data divided by IC, SWA ARM and SWA BACK (mean ± SEM). Bland-Altman bias plot between SenseWear Armband (SWA) estimate for the ARM (E) and for the BACK (F) and IC measurement of EE during an incremental exercise on cycloergometer.

Figure 3. Baboon Activity and Resting.

Plots of mean Energy Expenditure (kcal/min) during resting and activity in female (A), male (B) and in all the baboons (C).

Figure 4. Comparison between humans and baboons.

Comparison of EE at resting between humans and baboons, in the female groups (A) in all the locations placed and (B) only on the back , in the male group (C) in all the locations placed and (D) only on the back ; in all the subjects (E) in all the locations placed and (F) only on the back.