One MET is defined as the amount of energy burned at rest. Which of the following is true?

One MET is defined as the amount of energy burned at rest. Which of the following is true?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. It varies with body weight
• D. It is measured in liters per minute

Answer: (A)

One MET represents the energy cost of resting metabolic rate. It is defined by the body's oxygen use at rest, about 3.5 mL of O2 per kilogram of body weight per minute, which translates to roughly 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. So, at rest, energy expenditure is about 1 MET for each kilogram you weigh, meaning the concept is anchored to resting metabolism. This is why activities are expressed as multiples of rest energy cost: a 5-MET activity uses about five times the resting energy expenditure. The numeric MET value is independent of body weight because it’s already normalized per kilogram, though the actual calories per hour at rest do rise with weight. And MET is based on oxygen consumption per kilogram per minute, not liters per minute, so it isn’t measured in liters per minute.

One MET represents the energy cost of resting metabolic rate. It is defined by the body's oxygen use at rest, about 3.5 mL of O2 per kilogram of body weight per minute, which translates to roughly 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. So, at rest, energy expenditure is about 1 MET for each kilogram you weigh, meaning the concept is anchored to resting metabolism. This is why activities are expressed as multiples of rest energy cost: a 5-MET activity uses about five times the resting energy expenditure. The numeric MET value is independent of body weight because it’s already normalized per kilogram, though the actual calories per hour at rest do rise with weight. And MET is based on oxygen consumption per kilogram per minute, not liters per minute, so it isn’t measured in liters per minute.