AbstractBasal metabolic rates (BMR) at the end of the winter of 1981–1982 were determined in both Inuit and subjects of European ancestry resident in Igloolik, N.W.T. (69°40'N, 81°W). Values for the Inuit sample (22 females, 14–53 years, and 30 males, 14–70 years) exceeded published body surface area norms by some 16–18%; they also exceeded the body mass norms of Schofield (1985) by 9–10%. In contrast, readings on the six subjects of European ancestry, obtained by the same observer, using the same Douglas bag technique, agreed closely with both sets of published norms. When data were expressed per unit of lean body mass, values were again 10–12% higher in the Inuit. Concomitant recordings of heart rate did not suggest that the BMRs of the Inuit subjects were increased by anxiety. Contrary to findings in the subjects of European ancestry, BMRs appeared to be higher in the elderly than in young and middle‐age Inuit. This could reflect two consequences of a more traditional lifestyle among the older members of the Igloolik population: greater exposure to a very cold external environment, and greater consumption of “country” foods rich in protein and fat. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.