๐ช๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ค? ๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐กโฆ?
๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ. ๐๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ข๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐ ๐. ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ ๐จ๐ง๐, ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌโฆ
๐๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐. ๐๐๐ฒ! ๐๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ.
Metabolism is your engine. Itโs the conversion of food and beverage into energy that your body can use to stay alive and perform what you ask of it. It plays a critical role, obviously, in longevity.
Itโs long been thought that your metabolism rate declines with age. Itโs assumed that as you age, your metabolism slows down. Along with that, your weight goes up. A result of that and also a cause of that (because these are all interrelated and cyclical) is that you lose muscle mass, gait, and organ performance. One such organ is skin, which also loses energy. I talked about how you can get that back that last week.
So basically, your body slows down, slowing down the metabolism. As the metabolism slows, the body slows. And so onโฆEventually, we die. Sorry if the bluntness hits you like a punch in the face.
The good news is that 1) The slowing of the metabolism doesnโt start as soon as once thought. 2) You have way more control than you think in terms of how well you age (physically and mentally). 3) Men and women aren't as different as we thought.
Hereโs whatโs up!
New research using an updated measurement tactic shows that the metabolism doesnโt start to slow down until approximately ago 60. Up until now, it was thought that the metabolism started slowing in your 20's and then again in middle-age. It was also believed that men had naturally faster metabolisms than women.
Turns out, that's not true! Pontzer et al. (2021) found that when controlling for body size and muscle mass, there isn't a difference between men and women. They also found that the metabolism holds steady between ages 20 and 60, After 60 there is a slight decline, but not as large as the one that occurs between ages 1 and 20!
In an interview with the New York Times, the researchers said that people who gain more than 1.5 pounds a year in adulthood cannot attribute it to slowing metabolisms.
So what does that mean for you?
Research continues to show that prioritizing lifestyle factors such as regular daily movement, strength training, quality sleep, and a diet rich in whole foods supports healthy aging. This includes lessened decline in energy metabolism. There are a number of actions you can take now to keep your metabolic fires burning as much as possible. Even if you feel like they have โalways been slowโ.
You cannot live forever but you can live well for as long as you are here.
Energy isnโt just metabolism though. Itโs also mood or spirit. Itโs your zest for life. A healthy lifestyle, such as the one described above, boosts that too. Next week we will explore energy of the spirit.
For now, focus on the fact that your energy metabolism is more in your control than you think. Itโs not predetermined in your genes.
Your metabolism affects everything: weight, mood, temperature, organ healthโฆInvest in nourishing your body to support your energy metabolism now and for the long haul!
๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24956-2
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/energy-metabolism
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/adult-metabolism-remains-stable-until-60-study-reveals#Waxing-and-waning-metabolism
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abe5017
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/health/metabolism-weight-aging.html
