Men Typically Burn More Energy at Rest, But Other Factors Matter
“Generally speaking, yes,”says Bethan Crouse, a performance nutritionist from Loughborough University, but she emphasizes that it is not a universal rule. Humans expend calories to support all bodily functions, from movement to sleeping. For adults aged approximately 19 to 64, general guidelines estimate daily energy needs at about 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men. These requirements vary significantly in children and adolescents and tend to decline with age, decreasing between 65 and 74 years old and dropping further after 75. However, these averages conceal considerable individual variation.
One primary reason men generally require more calories is their higher resting metabolic rate (RMR), meaning they burn more energy while at rest. This difference is largely attributed to variations in body composition: men typically have more lean muscle mass, whereas women usually carry a higher proportion of body fat. Since muscle tissue consumes more calories than fat, this contributes to the disparity in energy needs.
The differences in muscle mass are not primarily due to diet or exercise habits but are influenced by hormonal factors. Testosterone, present at higher levels in men, encourages muscle growth. Consequently, even when comparing a man and a woman of the same height, age, weight, and exercise routine, their calorie requirements may still differ. Nevertheless, Crouse notes that individual differences exist.
For example, consider a muscular woman and an average man.
“That female probably needs more calories than the male at rest, and you can infer that the female is probably doing more exercise anyway, so that’s going to increase her need for calories too.”Additionally, long-term dieting can complicate energy needs. Prolonged severe calorie restriction can lower a person’s baseline energy requirements by effectively reducing the body’s metabolic rate.
For those uncertain about their caloric intake, Crouse recommends consulting resources such as the NHS Eatwell Guide and the NHS Calorie Checker for guidance.
