Configuration of advanced parameters

A set of advanved parameters that control different aspects of the program are available from the configuration dialog box (figure bellow).

In this dialog box, the may enter three different types of information: (a) the formula for the computation of tha Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), (b) the fomula for the computation of the energy requirements and the nutritional values in terms of carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories for each serving of the six food groups.

Fomula for the computation of the Basal Metabolic Rate

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of energy expended daily by humans (and animals) at rest and it is usually by far the largest component of total caloric expenditure. Rest is defined as existing in a neutrally temperate environment while in the post-absorptive state. For more information you can read the article for the Basal metabolic rate in wikipedia. The Basal metabolic rate of a typical human can be estimated as a function of sex, weight, height and age and there have been proposed several equations for this purpose. This program allows the user to define anby equation that computes the BMR as a linear function of weight, height and age or, alternatively choose from one of the well known equations suggested in the literature, as shown below.

Çarris and Bennedict Equation(1919)
BMR for men = 66.473 + 5.003 height + 13.752 weight + -6.755 age
BMR for women = 655.096 + 1.850 height + 9.563 weight + -4.676 age

Çarris and Bennedict revised (1984)
BMR for men = 88.362 + 4.799 * height + 13.397 * weight + -5.677 * age
BMR for women= 447.593 + 3.098 * height + 9.247 * weight + -4.33 * age

Owen et al. (1986)
BMR for men = 879 + 10.2 * weight
BMR for women= 795 + 7.18 * weight

Mifflin et al.(1990)
BMR for men = 5 + 6.25 * height + 10 * weight + -5 * age
BMR for women= -161 + 6.25 * height + 10 * weight + -5 * age

In all the above equations, height is in cm, weight is in kgr, and age is in years. BMR is computed in kcal.

Formula for the computation of total energy requirements

Here the user can define the formula for the computation of total energy requirements. The formula has the following form.

Total energy Requirements = BMR + T * BMR + A * BMR

where BMP is the Basal metabolic rate computed with the formula defined above, T is the thermogenesis factor (this program assumes a default typical value of 10% of the BMR) and A is a physical activity factor entered by the user in the energy calulation dialog box.

Food groups: Nutritient values per serving

In this table the user can define the macronutrient values and the kcal per serving for each food group. The default values can be changed to reflect relevant propositions by various organizations and academic reports.