5 ms·

It's not your age that's slowing your metabolism, new research says

64 points by LinuxBender 5y ago

firecall 5y ago
tl;dr No excuse for being fat! ;-) "Your metabolic rate is the rate at which your body burns calories to keep you alive and functioning. It's a generally accepted belief that as you age, your resting metabolism slows --especially over age 40. And if you are a woman in menopause, your metabolism slows even more. Not true, says a new paper published in Science. By analyzing data from nearly 6,500 people ranging in age from infancy to elderly, the paper's authors determined that resting metabolism holds steady from age 20 to 60 before logging a decrease of less than 1% per year thereafter."
- shados 5y ago
  I always took the "slowing metabolism" more as the individual slowing down. As I'm getting older and things start hurting more everywhere, I move less. Because I move less, I have less muscles. Because I have less muscles, I burn less calories, and thus gain weight a lot easier/faster.
- HWR_14 5y ago
  Metabolism being consistent over age is not the same as metabolism being consistent between people. To the best of my knowledge, there are huge differences in the metabolism of people, and studies have already shown some ability to have (through medical intervention) people to more closely match another's metabolism.
teorema 5y ago
I've realized recently that I was a lot more vigilant and anxious about my weight when I was younger. I'm not really that different in weight now but I also know when I was younger I was a lot more conscientious about calories etc. Im also pretty sure there's something related to microbiome. I've had periods of needing to gain weight as well as lose, and they were bookmarked by infection.
nradov 5y ago
I hear a lot of people blame a "slow metabolism" for difficulty losing weight, but most of them have normal metabolism. It's useful to get an occasional resting metabolic rate test just to know your baseline. Costs about $50 and totally painless.
- orionblastar 5y ago
  Stress releases hormones that lowers metabolism. I ate Subways and still went up to 480 pounds. I ate less, literally starving myself, and took multivitamins. I am now 213 pounds. https://www.orlandohealth.com/content-hub/how-too-much-stress-can-cause-weight-gain-and-what-to-do-about-it#:~:text=What%20Is%20Cortisol%3F,functions%20and%20slowing%20your%20metabolism https://www.orlandohealth.com/content-hub/how-too-much-stres....
- x1798DE 5y ago
  Where can you get this test for $50? From a cursory Google search in NYC the only place I'm seeing with prices costs more like $200: https://www.fitnescity.com/resting-metabolic-rate-test https://www.fitnescity.com/resting-metabolic-rate-test
- throwawayboise 5y ago
  Yeah they are more likely just eating too much, and eating the wrong foods.
  - orionblastar 5y ago
    https://www.healthyway.com/content/how-did-the-government-get-the-food-pyramid-so-terribly-wrong/ https://www.healthyway.com/content/how-did-the-government-ge... Remember the food pyramid? Many of us followed it in our 20s. It was wrong and we paid the price for it. Subway diets only work if you get the flat bread and veggies only no sauces. But that was not told in the commercials and people like me got meat and mayonnaise at Subway, Quizono's etc. Now I am counting carbs, fats, trans fats, sugar, sodium, etc. Sugar free food might have carbs or sodium in it. You need to read the nutritional panel and see what it has. If I knew this 20 years ago, I wouldn't have gotten fat.
Proven 5y ago
To find what is is, presumably I should click on that link. Won't happen. Can't say I care.
nicolashahn 5y ago
Does anyone else just have less energy/feel tired more of the time as you age? I bet if I did have the same level of physical activity I did 10 years ago I'd be in about the same shape, but it takes so much more effort now, it seems.
- senectus1 5y ago
  for me, I was doing fine till winter hit. then it became a slow slide down hill.. slept less -> less energy -> exercised less -> less self control around eating -> put on more weight -> back to the beginning... it starts with sleep and then exercise. after that its a feedback loop. I'm determined to break that loop again and this time when winter comes back I'm going to put something into place that keeps my routine up through winter.
  - mleonhard 5y ago
    Get some super-bright lights. I light my workspace with 24,000 lumens of light. My productivity and mood improved drastically last year when I got them. I use three 55W Feit PAR38 bulbs pointed toward the ceiling and three 25W Feit OM200 bulbs in ceiling fixtures.
    - WithinReason 5y ago
      Just to add to that, high color temperaure is also important.
- redis_mlc 5y ago
  Hormones are everything when it comes to peak health. If you're male, then at some time it's important to check your testosterone level. It's a powerful hormone that not only affects you physically, but also contributes to motivation. Insulin level also has surprisingly similar effects, so stop drinking sugar and corn syrup drinks. (If you go to the same gym for several years, you can actually see the T effect as older strongmen fade into average after a certain point. When you ask them what happened, they always laugh and reply, "I got old." Likely it's T.)
- 5y ago
ilaksh 5y ago
They measured something specific about metabolism. But that doesn't prove that there are other similar/related aspects of health that are affecting it, such as hormone levels. The fact that that is not mentioned at the outset of this article tells me it's deliberately misleading. Probably to help sell exercise programs.
Borrible 5y ago
So,...there is really no 'scientific' excuse anymore covering physical lazyness? It's just that one prefers to stay in bed, couch, status quo? Damn.
NoPicklez 5y ago
I think people find more solace in boiling down their weight problems to something external to them and that goes for almost anything. I think that the belief is also perpetuated in families because the understanding of nutrition, exercise and food aren't generally concepts we all have a great grasp on. As we get older and I've experienced this myself (late 20's), we slowly reduce our exercise/movement and indulge on higher caloric food. As adults we often have added stress which can reduce our want to exercise and increase our need for comforts such as alcohol or food. A big realisation for me was when I started an office job, I needed to be much much more conscious about what I eat and how much to exercise to keep off gaining weight, let alone lose it. With everything going on in life as an adult, exercise takes a lower priority than everything else as it requires us to take the step to look after ourselves both physically and mentally. This is also at a point where people need to improve their understanding of nutrition and to navigate their way through the abundance of highly available bad foods. And make the commitment to do so with a partner (and kids). Looking after yourself physically is challenging enough, but when you need to bring your partner and your kids along for the journey it becomes incredibly challenging.
AnEro 5y ago
Any gym rat will tell you this, it's easy to see the regulars regardless of age will be leaner or yoked. Hell there are memes about the old dude TRT being the fittest he's ever been and being able to crush your gains comparatively Longevity is activity, understanding your BRM, and extra if you aren't seeing results is microbiome stuff like eating foods that don't mess with your micro biome like artificial sweetners. As an aside: I doubt many people will trust this but if you're all about your micro biome and found there isn't much science around your specific scenario are willing to try weird things, try going off what's recommended for your Ayurveda types. Which is surprisingly finding traction in other aspects of psychology and nutrition but still very early. Just drop the spiritual stuff and take that as what their explanations why there are results from diet effecting mental health and a way to preserve it over this many generations
curation 5y ago
I am a woman beyond 40 and I would have kicked my 20 year old selfs ass. I have been a daily runner (1okm) since 23 and yoga/pilates but 5 years ago I started krav maga training and eating more protein ( I started eating meat ) and my speed increased by 2 miles/hour and I can do 20 marine push ups in 20 seconds and pull ups. I feel really great. I also got rid of my chronic back pain by this muscle-building method (from scoliosis) coupled with stretching (yin stuff plus my own variations). Experts I visited were useless; and women I meet of all ages tell me "i'm just lucky/special" so this study spreading around I hope inspires people because it's hard to go on walks with my peers because they need to stop for rests. What will happen when I'm 20 years older?
- redis_mlc 5y ago
  > I am a woman beyond 40 and I would have kicked my 20 year old selfs ass. So you were sedentary (ie. lazy) when younger and now you get some exercise. Not sure what the lesson is there, except "don't be lazy." I do agree that people who drive and don't walk or jog do have cardio weakness, regardless of age, so let that be a wakeup call for people who are car dependent.
- KirillPanov 5y ago
  > I would have kicked my 20 year old selfs ass. ... What will happen when I'm 20 years older? You will kick Chuck Norris' ass.
  - soco 5y ago
    You will become Chuck Norris then kick your own ass.
    - curation 5y ago
      I only weigh 120 lbs and am 5 ' 10 " so I will have to work even harder to compensate!
      - coolgeek 5y ago
nikolay 5y ago
We've been plagued by poor-quality studies making all the wrong conclusions! Of course, our metabolism drops and gets more and more defunct with each year of life passing as BMR depends on lean mass and sarcopenia is a scientific fact! Also, the higher your metabolic rate is, the faster you're aging! I think scientists keep forgetting about the Hayflick limit! Unlike cancer cells, our cells do not divine without a limit! The faster your metabolism is, the faster you will reach this limit! If you care about longevity, you need to aim to lower your BMR, not increase it. If you look at studies, it's not the athletes who live the longest, it's the scientists with a sedentary lifestyle who spend most of their day thinking, not running on the treadmill! I highly recommend to you The Longevity Book, which is based on the longest-ever study still going on at UC Riverside! I "feel great" is highly subjective. Brainless exercise also means upregulating growth factors, which also increase your risk of getting cancers. Exercise is also the single biggest source of ROS! Keep your cell turnover low, don't think autophagy comes at no cost. Keep your mitochondria healthy, and prevent senescence. Reduce exposure to environmental toxins, breathe clean air, drink pristine water, and eat less than what would make you full - all clean and simple foods! Walk 30 minutes a day - and that's all you need. Gyms and sports are industries often associated with injuries, a waste of productive time, and money. Be a turtle, not a hummingbird! Yeah, turtles are ugly, but live much, much longer that hummingbirds to enjoy the outside, not inner, beauty of this one-of-a-kind world!
- alinhan 5y ago
  Maybe you mean "The Longevity Project" book instead of "The Longevity Book"?
  - nikolay 5y ago
    Yes, sorry. The book is called "The Longevity Project" [0]. [0]: http://www.howardsfriedman.com/longevityproject/ http://www.howardsfriedman.com/longevityproject/

64 points by LinuxBender 5y ago

tl;dr No excuse for being fat! ;-) "Your metabolic rate is the rate at which your body burns calories to keep you alive and functioning. It's a generally accepted belief that as you age, your resting metabolism slows --especially over age 40. And if you are a woman in menopause, your metabolism slows even more. Not true, says a new paper published in Science. By analyzing data from nearly 6,500 people ranging in age from infancy to elderly, the paper's authors determined that resting metabolism holds steady from age 20 to 60 before logging a decrease of less than 1% per year thereafter."

shados 5y ago
I always took the "slowing metabolism" more as the individual slowing down. As I'm getting older and things start hurting more everywhere, I move less. Because I move less, I have less muscles. Because I have less muscles, I burn less calories, and thus gain weight a lot easier/faster.
HWR_14 5y ago
Metabolism being consistent over age is not the same as metabolism being consistent between people. To the best of my knowledge, there are huge differences in the metabolism of people, and studies have already shown some ability to have (through medical intervention) people to more closely match another's metabolism.

teorema 5y ago

I've realized recently that I was a lot more vigilant and anxious about my weight when I was younger. I'm not really that different in weight now but I also know when I was younger I was a lot more conscientious about calories etc. Im also pretty sure there's something related to microbiome. I've had periods of needing to gain weight as well as lose, and they were bookmarked by infection.

nradov 5y ago

I hear a lot of people blame a "slow metabolism" for difficulty losing weight, but most of them have normal metabolism. It's useful to get an occasional resting metabolic rate test just to know your baseline. Costs about $50 and totally painless.

orionblastar 5y ago
Stress releases hormones that lowers metabolism. I ate Subways and still went up to 480 pounds. I ate less, literally starving myself, and took multivitamins. I am now 213 pounds. https://www.orlandohealth.com/content-hub/how-too-much-stress-can-cause-weight-gain-and-what-to-do-about-it#:~:text=What%20Is%20Cortisol%3F,functions%20and%20slowing%20your%20metabolism https://www.orlandohealth.com/content-hub/how-too-much-stres....
x1798DE 5y ago
Where can you get this test for $50? From a cursory Google search in NYC the only place I'm seeing with prices costs more like $200: https://www.fitnescity.com/resting-metabolic-rate-test https://www.fitnescity.com/resting-metabolic-rate-test
throwawayboise 5y ago
Yeah they are more likely just eating too much, and eating the wrong foods.
- orionblastar 5y ago
  https://www.healthyway.com/content/how-did-the-government-get-the-food-pyramid-so-terribly-wrong/ https://www.healthyway.com/content/how-did-the-government-ge... Remember the food pyramid? Many of us followed it in our 20s. It was wrong and we paid the price for it. Subway diets only work if you get the flat bread and veggies only no sauces. But that was not told in the commercials and people like me got meat and mayonnaise at Subway, Quizono's etc. Now I am counting carbs, fats, trans fats, sugar, sodium, etc. Sugar free food might have carbs or sodium in it. You need to read the nutritional panel and see what it has. If I knew this 20 years ago, I wouldn't have gotten fat.

Proven 5y ago

To find what is is, presumably I should click on that link. Won't happen. Can't say I care.

nicolashahn 5y ago

Does anyone else just have less energy/feel tired more of the time as you age? I bet if I did have the same level of physical activity I did 10 years ago I'd be in about the same shape, but it takes so much more effort now, it seems.

senectus1 5y ago
for me, I was doing fine till winter hit. then it became a slow slide down hill.. slept less -> less energy -> exercised less -> less self control around eating -> put on more weight -> back to the beginning... it starts with sleep and then exercise. after that its a feedback loop. I'm determined to break that loop again and this time when winter comes back I'm going to put something into place that keeps my routine up through winter.
- mleonhard 5y ago
  Get some super-bright lights. I light my workspace with 24,000 lumens of light. My productivity and mood improved drastically last year when I got them. I use three 55W Feit PAR38 bulbs pointed toward the ceiling and three 25W Feit OM200 bulbs in ceiling fixtures.
  - WithinReason 5y ago
    Just to add to that, high color temperaure is also important.
redis_mlc 5y ago
Hormones are everything when it comes to peak health. If you're male, then at some time it's important to check your testosterone level. It's a powerful hormone that not only affects you physically, but also contributes to motivation. Insulin level also has surprisingly similar effects, so stop drinking sugar and corn syrup drinks. (If you go to the same gym for several years, you can actually see the T effect as older strongmen fade into average after a certain point. When you ask them what happened, they always laugh and reply, "I got old." Likely it's T.)
5y ago

ilaksh 5y ago

They measured something specific about metabolism. But that doesn't prove that there are other similar/related aspects of health that are affecting it, such as hormone levels. The fact that that is not mentioned at the outset of this article tells me it's deliberately misleading. Probably to help sell exercise programs.

Borrible 5y ago

So,...there is really no 'scientific' excuse anymore covering physical lazyness? It's just that one prefers to stay in bed, couch, status quo? Damn.

NoPicklez 5y ago

I think people find more solace in boiling down their weight problems to something external to them and that goes for almost anything. I think that the belief is also perpetuated in families because the understanding of nutrition, exercise and food aren't generally concepts we all have a great grasp on. As we get older and I've experienced this myself (late 20's), we slowly reduce our exercise/movement and indulge on higher caloric food. As adults we often have added stress which can reduce our want to exercise and increase our need for comforts such as alcohol or food. A big realisation for me was when I started an office job, I needed to be much much more conscious about what I eat and how much to exercise to keep off gaining weight, let alone lose it. With everything going on in life as an adult, exercise takes a lower priority than everything else as it requires us to take the step to look after ourselves both physically and mentally. This is also at a point where people need to improve their understanding of nutrition and to navigate their way through the abundance of highly available bad foods. And make the commitment to do so with a partner (and kids). Looking after yourself physically is challenging enough, but when you need to bring your partner and your kids along for the journey it becomes incredibly challenging.

AnEro 5y ago

Any gym rat will tell you this, it's easy to see the regulars regardless of age will be leaner or yoked. Hell there are memes about the old dude TRT being the fittest he's ever been and being able to crush your gains comparatively Longevity is activity, understanding your BRM, and extra if you aren't seeing results is microbiome stuff like eating foods that don't mess with your micro biome like artificial sweetners. As an aside: I doubt many people will trust this but if you're all about your micro biome and found there isn't much science around your specific scenario are willing to try weird things, try going off what's recommended for your Ayurveda types. Which is surprisingly finding traction in other aspects of psychology and nutrition but still very early. Just drop the spiritual stuff and take that as what their explanations why there are results from diet effecting mental health and a way to preserve it over this many generations

curation 5y ago

I am a woman beyond 40 and I would have kicked my 20 year old selfs ass. I have been a daily runner (1okm) since 23 and yoga/pilates but 5 years ago I started krav maga training and eating more protein ( I started eating meat ) and my speed increased by 2 miles/hour and I can do 20 marine push ups in 20 seconds and pull ups. I feel really great. I also got rid of my chronic back pain by this muscle-building method (from scoliosis) coupled with stretching (yin stuff plus my own variations). Experts I visited were useless; and women I meet of all ages tell me "i'm just lucky/special" so this study spreading around I hope inspires people because it's hard to go on walks with my peers because they need to stop for rests. What will happen when I'm 20 years older?

redis_mlc 5y ago
> I am a woman beyond 40 and I would have kicked my 20 year old selfs ass. So you were sedentary (ie. lazy) when younger and now you get some exercise. Not sure what the lesson is there, except "don't be lazy." I do agree that people who drive and don't walk or jog do have cardio weakness, regardless of age, so let that be a wakeup call for people who are car dependent.
KirillPanov 5y ago
> I would have kicked my 20 year old selfs ass. ... What will happen when I'm 20 years older? You will kick Chuck Norris' ass.
- soco 5y ago
  You will become Chuck Norris then kick your own ass.
  - curation 5y ago
    I only weigh 120 lbs and am 5 ' 10 " so I will have to work even harder to compensate!
    - coolgeek 5y ago

nikolay 5y ago

We've been plagued by poor-quality studies making all the wrong conclusions! Of course, our metabolism drops and gets more and more defunct with each year of life passing as BMR depends on lean mass and sarcopenia is a scientific fact! Also, the higher your metabolic rate is, the faster you're aging! I think scientists keep forgetting about the Hayflick limit! Unlike cancer cells, our cells do not divine without a limit! The faster your metabolism is, the faster you will reach this limit! If you care about longevity, you need to aim to lower your BMR, not increase it. If you look at studies, it's not the athletes who live the longest, it's the scientists with a sedentary lifestyle who spend most of their day thinking, not running on the treadmill! I highly recommend to you The Longevity Book, which is based on the longest-ever study still going on at UC Riverside! I "feel great" is highly subjective. Brainless exercise also means upregulating growth factors, which also increase your risk of getting cancers. Exercise is also the single biggest source of ROS! Keep your cell turnover low, don't think autophagy comes at no cost. Keep your mitochondria healthy, and prevent senescence. Reduce exposure to environmental toxins, breathe clean air, drink pristine water, and eat less than what would make you full - all clean and simple foods! Walk 30 minutes a day - and that's all you need. Gyms and sports are industries often associated with injuries, a waste of productive time, and money. Be a turtle, not a hummingbird! Yeah, turtles are ugly, but live much, much longer that hummingbirds to enjoy the outside, not inner, beauty of this one-of-a-kind world!

alinhan 5y ago
Maybe you mean "The Longevity Project" book instead of "The Longevity Book"?
- nikolay 5y ago
  Yes, sorry. The book is called "The Longevity Project" [0]. [0]: http://www.howardsfriedman.com/longevityproject/ http://www.howardsfriedman.com/longevityproject/