Introduction: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) is the maximum quantity of oxygen a person can consume, and it remains constant over time despite increased exertion. The amount of oxygen consumed by the working muscles is measured by maximal oxygen consumption. The maximal oxygen uptake can be measured using maximal or submaximal tests, by gas analyser or field methods. The estimated VO2 max can be used to study people’s fitness and raise awareness about physical activity and lifestyle changes. Aim: To determine the VO2 max values using a direct method and provide normative data of VO2 max for healthy young adults in the age group of 18-25 years in both sexes. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee of RUHS College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. A total of 419 healthy young adults (male and female students) were recruited from RUHSCollege of Medical Sciences and MNIT College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India from January 2019 to March 2020. Anthropometric data included age, height, weight according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and followed by measurement of VO2 max using a gas analyser of AD-Instrument (model-ML206). Collected data was entered in Microsoft excel. Paired t-test was used to compare mean and Standard Deviation (SD) of variables between male and female participants. The p-value of <0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The study was conducted on 419 apparently healthy college students (275 male and 144 female). The mean VO2 max value for males was 45.30±7.35 mL/kg/min and for females it was 35.71±5.29 mL/kg/min, which was found to be significantly higher in males than in females. The mean VO2 max among the largest proportion of the males (27.63%) falls in the ‘Good’ category of cardiorespiratory fitness scale and the largest proportion of the females (32.63%) falls in the ‘Fair’ category of cardiorespiratory fitness scale. Conclusion: The value of VO2 max was lower in the Indian population than in the western population, when value obtained from this study was compared with the standard normative value of cardiorespiratory fitness. Therefore, the values obtained in this study could serve as a normative for the Indian population.

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Objective: Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) can be estimated using maximal or sub-maximal tests, by direct or indirect methods.The Queen’s College Step Test (QCT) is used very frequently to estimate VO2max due to its simple, safe, quick and feasible approach. Originally the QCT was developed for the white race population, which is different from the Indian population in terms of ethnicity. So the present study was conducted to validate the applicability of the QCT to indirectly estimate VO2max in Indian adults. Material and Methods: A total of 419 apparently healthy students (male and female) were recruited for the study by the RUHS College of Medical Sciences (RUHS-CMS), Jaipur from January 2019 to March 2020 by random number table generator sampling. Direct estimation of VO2max was performed by sub-maximal exercise testing on a treadmill using a gas analyzer, while VO2max was indirectly predicted by the standard QCT protocol. The collected data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using unpaired student t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and regression analysis.Results: The average directly measured VO2max (ml/kg/min) in males was 45.30±7.35, and for women was 35.71±5.29, and predicted by the QCT was 49.01 for males and 38.83±5.30 for females. The difference between the measured and predicted mean VO2max (PVO2max) values was statistically significant (p-value<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, actual VO2max was lower than the predicted VO2max from the QCT. The results of this study suggest that a new equation derived from the present data, recommended to assess VO2max using QCT in the Indian population, especially when large numbers of participants need to be tested in the absence of a well-equipped laboratory.

Introduction: Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) is the main determinant of energy requirements. An inaccurate estimation of REE can lead to the over or under-prediction of energy requirements. Indirect calorimetry is considered as the gold standard for the assessment of REE. The most of the predictive equations which are formed, are from the studies conducted on Caucasian people while on Asian population these studies are very limited. Aim: To compare the REE measured by indirect calorimetry and predictive equation in healthy young adults. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on 100 healthy young adult participants from November 2018 to May 2019, of age group 18 to 25 years to measure REE using indirect calorimetry and predictive equations (Harris-Benedict’s, Schofield, FAO/WHO/UNU and Mifflin-St. Jeor equations). Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 16.0. Unpaired student t-test for comparison of data and Bland Altman test to check for validity of predictive equations were applied. Results: The mean value of REE using Indirect calorimetry was 1994.20±577.33 and that of using four Harris-Benedict’s, Schofield, FAO/WHO/UNU and Mifflin-St.Jeor equations were 1638.15±335.64 kcal/day, 1636.21±359.85 kcal/day, 1636.93±367.59 kcal/day and 1582.41±251.29 kcal/day, respectively. Thus, the highest mean difference between values of REE obtained using predictive equation and indirect calorimetry was 411.79±326.04 kcal/day with respect to Mifflin-St.Jeorand’s and the lowest mean difference was 356.05±241.69 kcal/day with respect to Herris Benedict’s equation. Conclusion: Predictive equations underestimated the REE of young adults when compared with that measured by indirect calorimetry.