Basal Metabolic Rates of Chittoor District Agricultural Workers

Energy requirement is assessed interms of energy expenditure of individuals or population groups, rather than energy intake. Energy expenditure of the body increases when the body and its organs are active. However, a certain minimum amount of energy is always needed for the maintenance of life, even during the period of rest and sleep. The metabolism under such a condition is referred to as "Basal Metabolism" and the minimum amount of energy needed for the maintenance of cellular metabolism, when the body is in the basal condition is referred to as BMR. Number of factors such as age, sex, body size, racial variation, hormones, climate, diet, body temperature and physiological state influence BMR. The present study was designed with the objective of finding the BMR and its relation to the somatic measurements of the agricultural workers of both the sexes.