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. 2025 Dec 10;10(1):107614.
doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.107614. eCollection 2026 Jan.

Sex Differences in Measures of Energy Expenditure and Body Composition in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults

Hannah E Cabre  1 , Kara L Marlatt  2 , Rodrigo Fernández-Verdejo  1   3 , Robbie Beyl  1 , Leanne M Redman  1 , Philip N Ainslie  4 , Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo  5 , Lene F Andersen  6 , Liam J Anderson  4   7 , Lenore Arab  8 , Kweku Bedu-Addo  9 , Alberto G Bonomi  10 , Carlijn Vc Bouten  11 , Pascal Bovet  12 , Soren Brage  13 , Maciej S Buchowski  14 , Nancy F Butte  15 , Stefan G Camps  16 , Regina Casper  17 , Graeme L Close  4 , Lisa H Colbert  18 , Jamie A Cooper  19 , Richard Cooper  20 , Sai Krupa Das  21 , Sanjoy Deb  22   23 , Terrence Forrester  24 , Melanie Gillingham  25 , Annelies H Goris  26 , Michael Gurven  27 , Catherine Hambly  28 , Sumei Hu  29 , Annemiek M Joosen  26 , Peter Katzmarzyk  1 , Kitty P Kempen  26 , Misaka Kimura  30 , William E Kraus  31 , Wantanee Kriengsinyos  32 , Robert F Kushner  33 , Nader Lessan  34 , Marie Löf  35 , Corby K Martin  1 , Eric Matsiko  36 , Anine C Medin  6   37 , James C Morehen  4   38 , James P Morton  4 , Marian L Neuhouser  39 , Ross L Prentice  39 , Susan B Racette  40 , David A Raichlen  41 , Rebecca M Reynolds  42 , Susan B Roberts  43 , Luís B Sardinha  44 , Albertine J Schuit  45 , Analiza M Silva  44 , Samuel S Urlacher  46 , Mauro Eduardo Valencia  5 , Ludo M Van Etten  26 , Jeanine A Verbunt  26 , George Wilson  4 , Brian M Wood  47   48 , Tsukasa Yoshida  49 , Xueying Zhang  28   29   50   51 , Alexia J Murphy-Alford  52 , Cornelia U Loechl  52 , Amy H Luke  53 , Herman Pontzer  54 , Jennifer Rood  1 , Hiroyuki Sagayama  55 , Dale A Schoeller  56 , Klaas R Westerterp  57 , William W Wong  15 , Yosuke Yamada  30   49 , John R Speakman  28   29   50   51 , Eric Ravussin  1
Affiliations

Sex Differences in Measures of Energy Expenditure and Body Composition in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults

Hannah E Cabre et al. Curr Dev Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is vital for energy balance and cardiometabolic health, yet its trajectory across the lifespan, particularly in females, remains poorly understood.

Objectives: We sought to examine the effects of aging and sex on body composition and TDEE.

Methods: In a cross-sectional analysis of data from research centers across 9 European Countries and the United States from the International Atomic Energy Agency database, TDEE and body composition measures of 2326 participants (1560W/766M; 50.7 ± 12 .6 y) were stratified across age groups: young (30-39 y; YOUNG), middle-aged (40-54 y; MID), and old (55-70 y; OLD). Doubly labeled water was used to estimate TDEE and fat-free mass (FFM). Fat mass (FM) was calculated as the difference between body mass and FFM, and %fat was ratio between FM and body mass as a percentage. Linear models were used for analysis.

Results: Females demonstrated greater FM and lower FFM with each age group, compared with males (P < 0.001). In females, OLD had lower absolute TDEE than YOUNG (-217 kcal/d, P < 0.001) and MID (-208 kcal/d, P < 0.001). Male absolute TDEE was lowered across all age groups (OLD compared with YOUNG: -334 kcal/d; OLD compared with MID: -210 kcal/d; MID compared with YOUNG: -124 kcal/d; P < 0.001). Adjusted TDEE was similar within age groups between females and males.

Conclusions: These results suggest that age influences changes in body composition and energy expenditure similarly between males and females. The most significant change in TDEE occurs as individuals transition from middle age to older adulthood. Females generally have a higher percentage of %fat and FM, along with lower FFM, compared with males across all age groups. These findings are important for understanding how aging affects metabolism and body composition, which could inform sex-specific health strategies and interventions.

Keywords: aging; body composition; energy balance; menopause; obesity; sex differences; total daily energy expenditure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
CONSORT diagram of data collation. IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Body weight represented with fat mass, fat-free mass, and %fat mass values per age group indicative of the menopause transition in females with males as the comparator group. ∗, indicates significance in females for %fat between each age group; †, indicates significance in males for %fat between age groups; #, indicates significant difference between young females and males for fat mass, fat-free mass, and %fat; ##, indicates significant differences between middle-aged females and males for fat mass, fat-free mass, and %fat; ###, indicates significant differences between old females and males for fat mass, fat-free mass, and %fat.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Adjusted total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) values per age groups indicative of the menopause transition in females with males as a comparator group. ∗, indicates significant difference from older group. There were no significant differences between sex for the magnitude of change in adjusted TDEE between groups [females (younger compared with middle-aged) compared with males (younger compared with middle-aged): −9 kcal/d ± 38 kcal/d; P = 0.821; females (middle-aged compared with older) compared with males (middle-aged compared with older): −14 kcal/d ± 36 kcal/d; P = 0.698].
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