Fig. 5

Whole-body energy expenditure. a Oxygen consumption, b respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and c energy expenditure of rats fed low (6%), adequate (20%), and high (50%) dietary protein and maintained at room temperature (23 °C) or exposed to a cold environment (4 °C) for 72 h (n = 5 rats per group). Energy expenditure (c left) was corrected for body weight. Oxygen consumption and energy expenditure (c right) were normalized to lean mass. The differences were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05. Mean values with different lowercase letters show statistical differences between each other (a > b > c > d > e)