Energy metabolism during male human puberty .2. Use of testicular size in predictive equations for basal metabolic rate

This study tests the hypothesis that equations to predict basal metabolic rate (BMR) of adolescent boys may be made more accurate by using a measure of pubertal maturity (testicular volume, TV). Eighty-six male volunteers aged 11.8-13.7 years were studied. There was a wide range of pubertal development within the subject group, ranging from mean TV of 3 to 22.5 mi. BMR was found to correlate more highly with TV (r = 0.519) than height (r = 0.425) or age (r = 0.272). BMR predicted using the World Health Organization equations (based on height and weight) were significantly higher than measured BMR in early pubertal boys (TV less than or equal to 4 mi, BMR (measured) = 5.04 +/- 0.17, BMR (predicted) = 6.14 +/- 0.15 MJ/day, p < 0.001, Student's t-test). The results provide evidence that measurement of testicular volume may increase the accuracy of equations for the prediction of BMR of adolescent boys.