Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Mar 24;9(5):106007.
doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.106007. eCollection 2025 May.

Use of Resting Metabolic Rate Ratio as a Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports Indicator in Female Athletes

Jessica L Garay  1 , Julia Galindo Sebe  1 , Jenna Strickland  1 , Lindsey Graves  2 , Margaret A Voss  1
Affiliations

Use of Resting Metabolic Rate Ratio as a Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports Indicator in Female Athletes

Jessica L Garay et al. Curr Dev Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Female athletes are at risk of relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) if energy intake is insufficient relative to demand. REDs is commonly identified via low energy availability (EA), which is determined by measuring dietary intake, exercise energy expenditure, and lean body mass. Due to inconsistent methods to measure each component of EA, the use of resting metabolic rate (RMR) ratio is proposed as an alternate method to identify REDs.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify REDs prevalence among a sample of physically active college-aged females using RMR ratio and correlate this with EA.

Methods: Females (18-24 y) who were members of a NCAA division 1 athletics team or highly physically active (greater than 4 d/wk) participated in the study. Body composition was measured using air displacement plethysmography. RMR was measured using indirect calorimetry. Participants reported dietary intake via a 24-h recall for 1-3 d. EA was calculated using an averaged activity factor of 1.67 to determine exercise energy expenditure. RMR was calculated using standard equations (Harris-Benedict, Owen, and Cunningham).

Results: A total of 77 physically active female college students participated, including 53 NCAA division 1 athletes. Mean EA was 24.5 ± 12.8 kcal/kg fat-free mass/d and 63% of participants met criteria for low EA (<30 kcal/kg fat-free mass/d). Mean RMR ratio was 1.08 ± 0.16, with 19% of the sample having low RMR ratio (below 0.9). Overall, 14% of participants had both low EA and low RMR ratio. There were no differences in EA or RMR ratio between the collegiate athlete and recreational athlete groups.

Conclusions: Physically active female college students, including collegiate athletes, exhibited suboptimal EA. Low RMR ratio appeared to be a more sensitive indicator of REDs risk than low EA.

Keywords: college athlete; disordered eating; energy availability; resting metabolic rate ratio; sports nutrition.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

JLG reports financial support by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation and Atlantic Coast Conference. The other authors report no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Scatterplot of resting metabolic rate (RMR) ratio and carbohydrate intake; n = 72; R = 0.315; P = 0.007.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hinton P.S., Sanford T.C., Davidson M.M., Yakushko O.F., Beck N.C. Nutrient intakes and dietary behaviors of male and female collegiate athletes. Int. J. Sport. Nutr. Exerc. Metab. 2004;14(4):389–405. - PubMed
    1. Shriver L.H., Betts N.M., Wollenberg G. Dietary intakes and eating habits of college athletes: are female college athletes following the current sports nutrition standards? J. Am. Coll. Health. 2013;61(1):10–16. - PubMed
    1. Jagim A.R., Zabriskie H., Currier B., Harty P.S., Stecker R., Kerksick C.M. Nutrient status and perceptions of energy and macronutrient intake in a group of collegiate female lacrosse athletes. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 2019;16(1):43. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mountjoy M., Ackerman K.E., Bailey D.M., Burke L.M., Constantini N., Hackney A.C., et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) Br. J. Sports Med. 2023;57(17):1073–1097. - PubMed
    1. Grabia M., Perkowski J., Socha K., Markiewicz-Żukowska R. Female athlete triad and relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs): nutritional management. Nutrients. 2024;16(3):359. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources