Research

Energy balance

The doubly labelled water (DLW) method is the gold standard for measuring total energy expenditure in free-living humans because it accurately captures activity energy expenditure without interfering with subject behavior.

If you need to know your true energy expenditure in daily life, self-reports and most wearables are unreliable. The doubly labelled water method is the only validated way to measure this accurately without restricting your normal activities, though it is primarily a research tool due to cost and complexity.

StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
The doubly labelled water method is the indicated method to measure energy expenditure in any environment, especially with regard to activity energy expenditure, without interference with the behavior of the subjects.
Klaas R. Westerterp · European Journal of Applied Physiology · 2017

Why this rating

The paper cites decades of validation studies, including comparisons with respiration chambers, establishing high accuracy (2-8% precision).

Source

Doubly labelled water assessment of energy expenditure: principle, practice, and promise

Klaas R. Westerterp · European Journal of Applied Physiology · 2017

DOI 10.1007/s00421-017-3641-x

narrative_reviewCited 202×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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