What is Metabolism
Metabolism is a series of chemical reactions that stores and converts fuel molecules into energy. It’s a set of reactions that keeps an organism and its cells alive.
Metabolism is involved in many physiological processes, digesting food, burning calories and regulating blood sugar levels.
What Affects Metabolism
Physical activity, muscle mass and sleep quality.
Physical activity can increase energy expenditure and basal metabolic rate and therefore burn more calories and manage weight better.
Having more muscle mass can also increase metabolic rate as muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat tissue.
Metabolic Health
A healthy lifestyle, balanced diet and good sleep can also impact metabolic health. A high protein diet can support muscle growth and maintenance, excess energy can lead to weight gain and health complications.
By knowing what affects metabolism and making lifestyle choices that supports metabolic health, you can enjoy many health benefits such as better blood sugar regulation, more energy and overall well being.
In the end, understanding metabolism and what affects it can help you make informed decisions on your diet, exercise and lifestyle habits and therefore have better metabolic health and a more balanced, energetic and thriving life.
Metabolism can be divided into 2
Anabolism- this is the synthesis of compounds needed by cells.
Catabolism- this is the process where molecules are broken down into energy.
Metabolism is related to nutrition and the presence of essential nutrients in the body.
Biogenetics is a term that describes the metabolic and biochemical pathways through which cells eventually get energy.Formation of energy is one of the components of metabolism.
What Affects Metabolism
There are several factors that affects metabolism:
• Weight: Different body tissues contribute varying amounts to metabolic rate. Muscles contribute more per unit mass than fat because muscle is denser than fat.
So individuals with more muscle mass have higher resting metabolic rate as muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat tissue.
• Heredity:
Metabolic rate can be influenced by your genetic inheritance from past generations.
Some may be predisposed to faster or slower metabolism based on their family history and genetic makeup.
• Age:
Metabolism slows down by 5% every decade after 40. This slow down is partly due to the loss of muscle mass that often happens with aging.
• Gender:
Men generally have higher metabolic rate than women as they have more muscle mass and lower body fat percentage.
• Thyroid dysfunction:
Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can speed up or slow down metabolism.
Conditions like hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can greatly impact metabolic function, slow down or speed up the body’s chemical processes and energy expenditure.
Besides these factors, research shows that certain lifestyle choices like regular resistance training and aerobic exercise can boost metabolism and burn more calories at rest.
Eating spicy food, staying hydrated and having a healthy sleep schedule can also support metabolic function and fat metabolism.
By knowing what affects metabolism, you can make informed decisions on your diet, exercise and lifestyle to support healthy metabolism and achieve your health and fitness goals.
Metabolism and Nutrient Utilization
When the body runs out of main energy source glucose, metabolism converts body fats into energy. When blood sugar increases, metabolism stores excess energy by converting it into fat.
How to Measure Metabolism
RMR and BMR calculator uses age, sex, weight and height to estimate Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). This is the minimum level of resting energy expenditure needed for the body to function properly, including normal body temperature, heart beating and respiratory functions.
Nutrition and Metabolism
Nutrition is important in metabolism. Metabolic pathways requires breakdown of nutrients for energy production which is needed by the body to synthesize protein and nucleic acids (RNA and DNA).
Nutrients with metabolism covers the body’s need for different functions including blood flow and weight management.
Essential nutrients supply the required energy (calories) and essential chemicals that the body can’t produce on its own. Food provides many substances needed for the body’s breaks, upkeep, body building and repair of worn out tissues.
The relationship between nutrition and clinical nutrition is important for optimizing an individual’s metabolism and overall health and wellness.
Carbohydrates and metabolism
Carbohydrates come in 3 forms; sugar, fiber and starch. Sugar and starch are the main energy source for humans. Fiber helps in digestion.
Body tissues need glucose for vital body functions. Sugars and carbohydrates convert to glucose through metabolism or digestion.
Metabolic pathways
Metabolic chemical reactions are grouped into metabolic pathways. This allows the basic nutritional chemicals to be passed through several steps by a series of enzymes.
These enzymes are important in metabolism as they allow cells to drive desirable reactions that involve energy.
Enzymes act as catalysts and allows chemical reactions to happen efficiently and fast. Besides, enzymes allows metabolic pathways to regulate in response to different changes in the cell environment.
Why raising your metabolism is good for your health
Raising low metabolism has many benefits. You will have energy all day, you will sleep well and the most important health benefit is you can lose extra weight and stay fit.
Another benefit that is often overlooked is by raising your metabolic rate you will burn fewer calories even when you’re sleeping.
With steady fat burn but slow rise in metabolism, hitting the recommended 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is possible. Interesting fact about metabolism is your body needs calories to burn calories.
In short, cutting calories can slow down metabolic reactions to a point that your body is no longer burning extra calories but storing more fat.
Exercising is good for weight loss and raising metabolism. But the type of exercise you do will depend on your long term goal of losing extra pounds.
Most fitness experts recommend cardio and aerobics for weight loss. This is because aerobics increase your metabolic rate and you burn extra calories.
But when you’re done exercising, your metabolic rate goes back to normal and you’re no longer burning extra calories. So the key to raising your metabolic rate is to increase your metabolic rate at rest.
You can do this by doing weight training. It’s building muscle not only when you’re working out but also when you’re resting. The benefit of weight training is you can customize your exercise to shape up your body as you want.
Weight training is good for women as it raises metabolism and shapes and tones the body. Another benefit is weight maintenance after weight loss.
This metabolism boosting workout will help you lose extra pounds and maintain your ideal weight. All you need is the commitment and desire to do it and it must come from within.
Foods that increase metabolism
Eating certain types of food can boost metabolism. When you eat these food to your low fat diet together with a regular workout, they may help you achieve your weight loss goals
Fish
Fish is not just a good source of lean protein, it’s also rich in vitamin B that converts food into energy. Other meats like pork and chicken are good choices but omega-3 abundance makes fish very healthy. Omega-3 boosts fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
Avocado
Although high in calories, avocados is a good source of L-carnitine. This amino acid is important in fat metabolism. Research has also shown that avocado helps in weight loss, regulates sugar levels and improves cardiovascular health when taken in moderation. They are high in omega-3s and other anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Cacao
Recently included in the list of healthiest foods in the world, cacao is rich in minerals and vitamins and has been shown to suppress appetite, improve blood circulation and stimulate enzymes. It’s rich in magnesium which facilitates more than three hundred biochemical reactions including metabolism.
Spices
Hot peppers like habanero, cayenne and jalapeno are known metabolism boosters. These are not the only spices others are black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and cumin they all have the same effect on metabolism too.
Black pepper, ginger and chili peppers raise body temperature and burn calories. Cinnamon makes your metabolism work efficiently by improving circulation and insulin sensitivity so you can metabolize fats.
Grapefruit
Sweet and tangy grapefruit may help with insulin control, HDL levels and weight loss. Research showed that people who ate grapefruit increased their cholesterol levels and lost weight. Reduced insulin levels after meal can help the body process food fast. This means you burn extra calories and store less fat when you eat grapefruit.
Oatmeal
If you want to jumpstart your metabolism, start your day with a plate of oatmeal. This food is rich in fat soluble fiber that requires more calories to digest. Eating oatmeal can lower your cholesterol and heart diseases.
Broccoli
Broccoli is high in vitamin C and calcium. These vitamins work together to burn calories fast. Calcium boosts metabolic rate and vitamin C helps in calcium absorption.
Low Fat Yoghurt
This is one of the best food to take when you want to boost your metabolic rate and lose weight. Yoghurt is rich in protein and calcium. It builds lean muscle and a great energy booster. But always check the label for sugar content “fat free” doesn’t mean “sugar free”.
Conclusion
Remember, losing extra pounds is combining a healthy diet with regular exercise. But incorporating these metabolism-boosting food into a nutrient-dense diet will not only support your weight loss goals but also your overall health in the long run.
Nutrition and active lifestyle is the key to optimize your metabolism. By digesting food fast and burning calories efficient you can have a higher resting metabolism which is important for weight management and overall well-being.
Eating a variety of nutrient-dense food like lean protein, complex carbohydrate and healthy fat can help improve metabolism and body composition. Engaging in resistance training can build lean mass which in turn can increase your body’s energy expenditure and thermic effect and burn more calories.
Beyond diet and exercise, other lifestyle factors can also contribute to metabolism boost. Getting enough sleep, good sleep habits and managing stress can all help to a healthier metabolic function. Conditions like thyroid dysfunction and metabolic syndrome can also affect your body’s ability to process calories and burn energy so it’s important to address any underlying health issues.
By combining nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle you can optimize your metabolism and support your weight loss and disease control and overall health. Remember balance is the key to long term success in weight management and healthy living.
