Article Image

IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology

Debunking the metabolism excuse: Nutritionists say that metabolic rate doesn't vary ...

• https://www.naturalnews.com

(Natural News) If you're not into physical activities or don't like regularly going to the gym, you've probably used the line "I can't lose weight like other people do because of my metabolism" one too many times as an excuse.

But did you know that our metabolic rates aren't that different after all?

The U.K.'s National Health Service defines metabolism as "all of the chemical processes that go on inside your body to keep you alive."

These various processes need energy, with about 70 percent of the energy being allocated to some of the very basic processes that keep us alive, regardless of our activity levels. This is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Think of metabolism as the body's ability to turn the food you eat into energy that powers different processes in the body.

Researchers have two different methods of measuring basal metabolic rate. First is by measuring the heat the body exudes, and second is by monitoring the levels of carbon dioxide you exhale.

But is there a way to determine if people have a "fast" metabolic rate or a "slow" one? Dr. Thomas Barber, an associate professor and honorary consultant endocrinologist at the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire in England, said that while individuals have different metabolic rates, in general, our metabolism per unit or kilogram of lean mass "is remarkably constant across the population."

Dr. Barber added that most of the metabolism occurs in all the lean tissue in the body or everything that's not fat. Take note that aside from the muscles, lean mass includes organs like the brain, kidneys, and the liver. When discussing rate in "lean mass, people are fairly similar across the board."

Sponsored solution from CWC Labs: This heavy metals test kit allows you to test almost anything for 20+ heavy metals and nutritive minerals, including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, aluminum and more. You can test your own hair, vitamins, well water, garden soil, superfoods, pet hair, beverages and other samples (no blood or urine). ISO accredited laboratory using ICP-MS (mass spec) analysis with parts per billion sensitivity. Learn more here.

The differences in our metabolism are often because of discrepancies in "the amounts of fat compared to lean mass in a person's body." Dr. Barber explained that if a person has less body fat and more lean mass, their body's metabolism will run more efficiently.