Abstract

"Background: One of the aspects of nutritional management is based on the determination of nutrient and calorie needs. One of them is the equation that Harris-Benedict proposed in 1919, about which evidence exists that it overestimates the basal energy expenditure (BEE), a reason why it is necessary to estimate it accurately in subjects in our own environment. Objective: To determine a factorial predictive model to estimate BEE in healthy individuals according to patterns of the local reality. Design: Randomized cross- sectional survey in 56 healthy adults of both sexes, aged 18 to 59 years and with different nutritional status. Results and conclusion: An equation was constructed through the stepwise technique; weight, hip circumference, sex and age, were the variables that best predicted the BEE with an r2=0.8647 (p<0,0001) and a standard error of 29.287 cal/day, significantly adjusted to the estimation"