Why does metabolism slow with age?
Do you remember when you ate 15 chicken nuggets, a large milkshake and a large French fries without gaining weight? Your mother would look at you and say that you cannot eat so much until you are 30 years old. She was right. Not necessarily 30 years old, but now I realize that aging and metabolism are strongly related. Visceral fat accumulation increases with age and metabolism slow with age.
Although you probably first notice these fats at the age of 30, most changes occur during menopause. Your body undergoes hormonal changes throughout your life, which slow down your metabolism and slow down your fat burning. Hormonal changes are one of the main factors related to metabolism that occur due to aging.
Hormonal changes in the body affect the storage or loss of fat.
Hormonal changes play an important role in the accumulation of fats in a specific area of the body. There is no doubt that your hormones will change in your third to fourth decade of life, but your lifestyle will cause you to gain more weight than hormones. Consumption of fast foods and inactivity are factors that affect the reduction of your body’s metabolism.
However, how can we be safe from these metabolic changes and rest assured that we have not lost our metabolism?
What is metabolism?
Metabolism refers ti all the chemical reactions that keep your body alive. What happens when the metabolism slows down with age? Metabolism also determines how many calories you burn during the day. The faster your metabolism, the more calories you burn. Your metabolic rate is affected by several factors:
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): The number of calories you burn at rest. This is the minimum amount needed to keep you alive and maintain vital functions.
Thermic effect of food (TEF): How many calories do you burn during the process of food digestion and absorption? TEF usually accounts for up to 10% of your daily caloric expenditure.
Exercise: The amount of calories you burn during exercise.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): The amount of calories you burn during non- exercise activity thermogenesis, such as standing, activity, washing dishes, and other household chores.
Other factors that can affect your metabolism include age, height, muscle mass, and hormonal factors.
Unfortunately, research has shown that your metabolism slows down with age, which can be due to decreased activity, decreased muscle mass and aging of internal organs.
Decreased activity with age
Your activity level can determine the speed of your metabolism. In fact, exercise, whether athletic or non-athletic, accounts for 10 to 30% of daily calorie burning. For an active person, this rate can reach 50%. NEAT refers to the calories you burn during your non- exercise activities. Research shows that more than a quarter of Americans aged 50-65 years do not exercise.
Research has also shown that older adults burn 29% fewer calories during their non- exercise activities. Staying active can help prevent a drop in your metabolism.
Decreased muscle mass with age
A typical adult loses 3-8% of his or her muscles every decade of life after the age of 30. Studies have shown that when you reach the age of 80, you have about 30% less muscle mass than you did in your 20s. This aged-related decrease in muscle mass is called sarcopenia, which can lead to bone fractures, weakness, and premature death. Sarcopenia also slows down the metabolism, as having more muscle mass increases RMR.
Muscle mass is affected by your activity level and, therefore, inactivity is one of the cause for muscle loss with age. Other causes include reduced calorie and protein intake, decreased production of hormones such as estrogen, testosterone and growth hormone.
Mechanism of slowing down the metabolic process with age
The number of calories you burn at rest is determined by the chemical reactions in your body. The two cellular factors that drive these reactions are the sodium-potassium pump and the mitochondria. The sodium-potassium pump helps produce nerve signals and muscle and heart contractions. Mitochondria also produce energy for your cells. Research has shown that both actions become less effective with age, And one of the worst things that can happen is that your metabolism slows down.
Scientists have found that older people have 20% fewer mitochondrial volume. Besides, the mitochondria of these people are 50% less efficient in using oxygen to produce energy. But compared to physical activity and muscle mass, these internal factors are less effective on the speed of your metabolism.
How much does metabolism slow down with age?
Your metabolic rate is affected by activity, muscle mass, and several other factors. Therefore, everyone’s metabolic rate varies.
One study investigated 516 adults (60 years and older) for 12 years. The aim of the above study was to determine the decline in their metabolism in each decade of life. After taking into account factors such as muscle mass and fat tissue differences, women burned 20 fewer calories per decade of life and men burned 70 fewer calories per decade of life. In summary, research shows that inactivity and loss of muscle mass have the greatest negative impact on your metabolism.
How can you prevent the decline in age-related decline in metabolism?
Although age-related decline in metabolism is a natural process, there are many things you can do to combat it.
1. Perform resistance exercises
Resistance or bodybuilding exercises are great for preventing slowing down the metabolism. By doing these exercises, in addition to enjoying the benefits of exercise, you can also preserve your muscles, both of which are factors that contribute to the speed of metabolism. Studies have shown that 16 weeks of resistance exercises increases RMR by 7.7%.
2. Perform high-intensity interval training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help prevent a drop in metabolism. This is an exercise technique that alternates between intense aerobic exercise and short rest periods. With interval training, calorie burning continues for hours after exercise because your muscles need more oxygen to recover after exercise. Studies have shown that interval training can burn 190 calories up to 14 hours after exercise.
3. Enough sleep
Research has shown that lack of sleep can slow down your metabolism, and fortunately a good night’s sleep can reverse this effect. One study revealed that four hours of sleep, compared to 10 hours of sleep, reduced metabolism by 2.6%. The findings also show that lack of sleep can reduce muscle mass.
If you have trouble falling asleep, improve your sleeping habits and prepare your mind and body for sleep by doing relaxation exercises before going to bed.
4. Use more protein sources
Eating high-protein foods will help you overcome your slow metabolism. This is because your body burns more calories when consuming, digesting and absorbing protein foods, which is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). Protein-rich foods have a greater TEF than carbohydrate and fat foods. Protein is essential for overcoming sarcopenia, so, a high-protein diet can overcome metabolic decline by maintaining muscle mass.
5. Be sure to eat enough
A low-calorie diet can slow down your metabolism because it puts your body on a starvation mode. Although dieting has its own benefits when you are young, maintaining muscle mass becomes more important with age. Older people usually have less appetite, which can reduce their calorie intake and metabolism.
If you cannot get the calories you need at each meal, you can increase the frequency of your meals. Eating high-calorie snacks such as cheese or nuts is also a great idea.
6. Using the metabolism miracle program
This is a new scientific method developed by a metabolismer expert team after two years of research on hundreds of people. This method eliminates the need for diets and exercise activities. This method is based on the stimulation of the thyroid gland. As your thyroid gland activity increases, your body automatically increases its metabolism.
With the help of the metabolism miracle program, you can increase your metabolism up to 6.2% and even burn fat during sleep.
