ArticleScience (New York, N.Y.)2021
Daily energy expenditure through the human life course.
Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph
Article in Science (New York, N.Y.), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06134258 (Mechanisms of Fasting Induced Reduction in Energy Expenditure - FIRE Trial), which is not on this map. Cited by 284 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
284citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Mechanisms of Fasting Induced Reduction in Energy Expenditure - FIRE Trial
Who cites it
284 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Methods of Determining Energy Expenditure in Individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Systematic Literature Review.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities.Journal of sport and health science · 2024Pooled it
- Metabolic benefits of ketohexokinase inhibition in individuals with MASLD: a randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial.Nature metabolism · 2026Trial
- Use of Machine Learning to Identify Determinants of Habitual-Preformed Water Intake.The Journal of nutrition · 2026Trial
- Acute systemic and energy metabolism responses to velocity-based resistance training following an oral glucose load in individuals with excess body weight.Experimental physiology · 2026Trial
- A multifaceted lifestyle program for weight loss in overweight adults: evidence from a randomised clinical trial.European journal of nutrition · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Baseline Characteristics of Weight-Loss Success in a Personalized Nutrition Intervention: A Secondary Analysis.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- Improving HbA1c Levels by Methylcobalamin Vitamin in Diabetic Volunteers, Combined with Dapagliflozin as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Routine Treatment: A Controlled Randomized, Double-blind Trial.Iranian journal of medical sciences · 2025Trial
- Dietary misreporting: a comparative study of recalls vs energy expenditure and energy intake by doubly-labeled water in older adults with overweight or obesity.BMC medical research methodology · 2025Trial
- Consumption of lettuce with seaweed extract biostimulant application improved iron homeostasis in a randomized interventional trial of healthy individuals.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Weight loss maintenance following an augmented intervention for early slow weight loss responders: An adaptive trial.Translational behavioral medicine · 2024Trial
- Repurposing Metformin for periodontal disease management as a form of oral-systemic preventive medicine.Journal of translational medicine · 2023Trial
- GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Weight Loss: A Critical Review of Mechanisms.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Review
- Hepatic Cysts in Korea: Prevalence, Incidence, and Risk Factors Based on a 5.8-Year Follow-up Health Screening Cohort.Journal of Korean medical science · 2026Article
- Whole-Room Indirect Calorimetry in the Study of Obesity, Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Flexibility: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Context-specific hypermetabolism in humans with mitochondrial defects.Cell press blue · 2026Article
- Energy constraint on human health.Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM · 2026Review
224 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
83 authors.
Herman Pontzer *Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-2397-6543
Yosuke Yamada *Institute for Active Health, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-4284-6317
Hiroyuki Sagayama *Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-9040-7650
Philip N AinslieResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Lene F AndersenDepartment of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-0236-1558
Liam J AndersonResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Lenore ArabDavid Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles.ORCID 0000-0001-8452-7202
Issaad BaddouUnité Mixte de Recherche en Nutrition et Alimentation, CNESTEN-Université Ibn Tofail URAC39, Regional Designated Center of Nutrition Associated with AFRA/IAEA, Rabat, Morocco.ORCID 0000-0001-9158-2621
Kweku Bedu-AddoDepartment of Physiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Ellen E BlaakMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-2496-3464
Stephane BlancDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
Alberto G BonomiPhillips Research, Eindoven, Netherlands.
Carlijn V C BoutenMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-1035-5094
Pascal BovetInstitute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Maciej S BuchowskiDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutritiion, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Nancy F ButteDepartment of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Stefan G CampsMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2053-1135
Graeme L CloseResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7210-9553
Jamie A CooperDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8265-4360
Richard CooperDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3037-7779
Sai Krupa DasJean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0788-0461
Lara R DugasDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0692-8585
Ulf EkelundDepartment of Sport Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-2115-9267
Sonja EntringerCharité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9926-7076
Terrence ForresterSolutions for Developing Countries, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica.
Barry W FudgeDepartment of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Annelies H GorisMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-4115-5186
Michael GurvenDepartment of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5661-527X
Catherine HamblyInstitute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2947-4539
Asmaa El HamdouchiUnité Mixte de Recherche en Nutrition et Alimentation, CNESTEN-Université Ibn Tofail URAC39, Regional Designated Center of Nutrition Associated with AFRA/IAEA, Rabat, Morocco.ORCID 0000-0001-5640-9137
Marjije B HoosMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Sumei HuState Key Laboratory of Molecular developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-3618-4492
Noorjehan JoonasCentral Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Candos, Mauritius.ORCID 0000-0002-5374-7971
Annemiek M JoosenMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Peter KatzmarzykPennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9280-6022
Kitty P KempenMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-6105-7217
Misaka KimuraInstitute for Active Health, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan.
William E KrausDepartment of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1930-9684
Robert F KushnerFeinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Estelle V LambertHealth through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre (HPALS), Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine (ESSM), FIMS International Collaborating Centre of Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-4315-9153
William R LeonardDepartment of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6233-604X
Nader LessanImperial College London Diabetes Centre, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Imperial College London, London, UK.
Corby MartinPennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8125-4015
Anine C MedinDepartment of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-4154-6264
Erwin P MeijerMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-3510-004X
James C MorehenThe FA Group, Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5320-0557
James P MortonResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Marian L NeuhouserDivision of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Teresa A NicklasDepartment of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7019-8356
Robert M OjiamboKenya School of Medicine, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
Kirsi H PietiläinenHelsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Yannis P PitsiladisSchool of Sport and Service Management, University of Brighton, Eastbourne, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6210-2449
Jacob Plange-RhuleDepartment of Physiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Guy PlasquiDepartment of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-4629-6479
Ross L PrenticeDivision of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Roberto A RabinovichThe Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Susan B RacetteProgram in Physical Therapy and Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6932-1887
David A RaichlenBiological Sciences and Anthropology, University of Southern California, CA, USA.
Eric RavussinPennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2129-547X
Rebecca M ReynoldsCentre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6226-8270
Susan B RobertsJean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1320-8460
Albertine J SchuitSchool of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7499-1391
Anders M SjödinDepartment of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-6451-3847
Eric SticeDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford CA, USA.
Samuel S UrlacherDepartment of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6489-4117
Giulio ValentiMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8002-6133
Ludo M Van EttenMaastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2914-2056
Edgar A Van MilMaastricht University, Maastricht and Lifestyle Medicine Center for Children, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-0888-0730
Jonathan C K WellsPopulation, Policy, and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0411-8025
George WilsonResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0971-5857
Brian M WoodDepartment of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8187-9429
Jack YanovskiGrowth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8542-1637
Tsukasa YoshidaNational Institute of Health and Nutrition, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID 0000-0003-2304-6872
Xueying ZhangInstitute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5746-2191
Alexia J Murphy-AlfordNutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0001-7095-3796
Cornelia LoechlNutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0001-7959-6270
Amy H Luke *Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Loyola University School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-8484-9439
Jennifer Rood *Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-5848-2987
Dale A Schoeller *Biotech Center and Nutritional Sciences University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.
Klaas R Westerterp *Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-0842-6850
William W Wong *Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-7147-5850
John R Speakman *Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China. herman.pontzer@duke.edu j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk yyamada831@gmail.com sagayama.hiroyuki.ka@u.tsukuba.ac.jp aluke@luc.edu jennifer.rood@pbrc.edu dschoell@nutrisci.wisc.edu k.westerterp@maastrichtuniversity.nl wwong@bcm.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-2457-1823
IAEA DLW Database Consortium
Funding
Washington University Nutrition Obesity Research CenterP30DK056341 · NIDDK · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Brian N Finck · 1999 to 2026
$30.2MResearch BaseP30DK072476 · NIDDK · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · PI Peter Todd Katzmarzyk · 2005 to 2026
$26.5MCoordinating Center for CALERIEU01AG022132 · NIA · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI KRAUS, WILLIAM E · 2002 to 2013
$24.9MPhysiology, Psychology, and Genetics of ObesityZIAHD000641 · NICHD · EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT · PI YANOVSKI, JACK A. · 2009 to 2025
$24.8MNutrition and Physical Activity Assessment Study (NPAAS)R01CA119171 · NCI · FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER · PI Marian L Neuhouser · 2006 to 2026
$14.3MMetabolic Adaptations to Two Year Caloric RestrictionU01AG020478 · NIA · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · PI RAVUSSIN, ERIC · 2002 to 2008
$13.4MPennington MoTrPAC Adults - RenewalU01AR071160 · NIAMS · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · PI RAVUSSIN, ERIC · 2017 to 2024
$11.0MDietary Energy Restriction and Metabolic Aging in HumansU01AG020480 · NIA · TUFTS UNIVERSITY BOSTON · PI ROBERTS, SUSAN B · 2002 to 2008
$8.2MRelation of Consummatory and Anticipatory Food Reward to ObesityR01DK080760 · NIDDK · OREGON RESEARCH INSTITUTE · PI STICE, ERIC M, YOKUM, SONJA · 2009 to 2013
$3.3MModeling the epidemiologic transition: Energy expenditure, obesity and diabetesR01DK080763 · NIDDK · LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO · PI LUKE, AMY H · 2009 to 2012
$2.4MACTIVITY AND OBESITY IN US BLACK &NIGERIAN WOMENR01DK056781 · NIDDK · LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO · PI LUKE, AMY H. · 2000 to 2004
$1.4MNONINVASIVE MEASUREMENTS OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN HUMANSR01DK030031 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI SCHOELLER, DALE A · 1986 to 2007
$1.3MIntramural NIH HHS Z99 HD999999Intramural NIH HHS ZIA HD000641NCI NIH HHS R01 CA119171NCRR NIH HHS S10 RR026764NIAMS NIH HHS U01 AR071160NIA NIH HHS R01 AG029914NIA NIH HHS R56 AG067200NIA NIH HHS U01 AG020478NIA NIH HHS U01 AG020480NIA NIH HHS U01 AG022132NIDDK NIH HHS K23 DK068052NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK056341NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK072476NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK030031NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK056781NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK074387NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK080760NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK080763NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK085163
Abstract
Total daily energy expenditure ("total expenditure") reflects daily energy needs and is a critical variable in human health and physiology, but its trajectory over the life course is poorly studied. We analyzed a large, diverse database of total expenditure measured by the doubly labeled water method for males and females aged 8 days to 95 years. Total expenditure increased with fat-free mass in a power-law manner, with four distinct life stages. Fat-free mass-adjusted expenditure accelerates rapidly in neonates to ~50% above adult values at ~1 year; declines slowly to adult levels by ~20 years; remains stable in adulthood (20 to 60 years), even during pregnancy; then declines in older adults. These changes shed light on human development and aging and should help shape nutrition and health strategies across the life span.
Indexed as
AgingEnergy MetabolismAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBasal MetabolismBody CompositionBody WeightChildChild, PreschoolExerciseFemaleHumansInfantInfant, Newborn
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Read underepoch 390
Registered trials
NCT06134258ClinicalTrials.gov
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.