Resting oxygen uptake is measured in which units?

Resting oxygen uptake is measured in which units?

• A. METS
• B. Liters per minute
• C. Beats per minute
• D. Calories per hour

Answer: (A)

METS express metabolic rate relative to resting oxygen use. By definition, 1 MET equals the oxygen consumption at rest, about 3.5 mL of O2 per kilogram of body weight per minute. That means resting oxygen uptake is 1 MET, which is roughly 0.25 L of O2 per minute for a typical 70 kg person. Using METs lets you compare how hard the body is working across activities relative to rest. The other units don’t capture that relative resting reference: liters per minute is an absolute measure of VO2, beats per minute is heart rate, and calories per hour is energy expenditure without the resting-relative context.

METS express metabolic rate relative to resting oxygen use. By definition, 1 MET equals the oxygen consumption at rest, about 3.5 mL of O2 per kilogram of body weight per minute. That means resting oxygen uptake is 1 MET, which is roughly 0.25 L of O2 per minute for a typical 70 kg person. Using METs lets you compare how hard the body is working across activities relative to rest. The other units don’t capture that relative resting reference: liters per minute is an absolute measure of VO2, beats per minute is heart rate, and calories per hour is energy expenditure without the resting-relative context.