Monday 29 June 2015

Health tips - You are what your metabolism is

Dr. Manish Gambhir

BAMS · General Physician ·yesterday
YOU ARE WHAT YOUR METABOLISM IS!

Metabolism is the process through which cells inside your body participate in the disintegration of food nutrients into energy. This proves to be the driving fuel behind all essential functions of the body such as digestion, circulation, breathing, heart beat etc.

Check these 7 super facts about your metabolism.

1) Body size decides metabolic need - The amount of nutrients required by your body in order to efficiently perform all its functions is determined by the size of the body. In addition, composition of the body also plays an important role, which refers to the number of fat tissues vs. muscle tissues. Thus, a larger person is bound to possess a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR).

2) Exercise aids in a higher metabolic rate - Regular exercise goes a long way in boosting your BMR. Weight training increases muscle mass, thus making your body capable of burning calories at a faster pace.

3) Crash diets often backfire - Instead of causing rapid weight loss, crash dieting has been seen to have an adverse effect on the metabolic rate. This is due to the fact that it deprives you of certain essential nutrients and also fails to fulfill the daily minimum calorie requirement of the body.

4) Aging slows metabolism - According to research, the metabolic rate begins its decline in your mid 20s and decreases approximately by two percent in a span of every 10 years. Increasing age leads to loss of muscle tissue and also results in reduced physical exercise; both contributing to a sluggish BMR.

5) Men possess higher metabolic - It is a proven fact that men have a comparatively higher BMR than women. The efficiency of the body to burn energy is determined by the lean muscle mass, thus causing men to burn calories a lot faster than women.

6) Your metabolism is linked to the thyroid gland - The thyroid gland, present at the frontal portion of the neck, acts as the control panel for a number of processes such as regulation of hormones, protein production etc. It completely controls metabolism as the rate of conversion of food into energy is under the supervision of the gland.

7) Frequent meals aid higher metabolism - According to dieticians, taking small meals every 2-3 hours helps burn calories at a faster rate.

If you have any further questions on body's metabolism or general health, ask me by clicking on 'consult'.

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