Understanding your metabolism
Most of us have heard the term “metabolism”, but what is your metabolism, and what does it accomplish for you daily?
Metabolism is not just one thing, it’s the process or total of all chemical reactions in the body that keep us alive and moving as it stores and converts the food we eat into cellular energy (1).
This cellular energy, or adenosine triphosphate (ATP), fuels our vital life processes like growth, development, reproduction, and movement, and the synthesis of molecules needed to keep us alive and healthy like hormones and enzymes (1).
So, when our metabolism isn’t functioning optimally, we can have health issues like weight problems, fatigue, and metabolic syndrome, which increases our risk for conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
What affects our metabolism?
Three factors can directly affect metabolism; basal metabolic rate, physical movement, and dietary thermogenesis or the thermic effect of food (2).
Most (60-70%) of the energy produced by the body is used to support our basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the energy needed for life-sustaining functions like blood circulation, breathing, building and repairing body tissue, digestion of food, and the absorption of nutrients from our food into the body to be used for structure and function (3).
Physical movement and exercise affect metabolism and account for about 20% of the body’s daily energy needs (4). Daily physical movement like walking, gardening, and exercise increase metabolism and reduce our risk for metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes (5).
Diabetologia. 2020 Aug; 63(8): 1464–1474. Published online 2020 Jun 1. doi: 10.1007/s00125-020-05177-6 Exercise and metabolic health: beyond skeletal muscle
The third factor impacting metabolism is the body’s ability to digest and absorb the food we eat through dietary thermogenesis, a process accounting for the remaining % of the body’s daily energy needs (6). Protein has a key role in satiety related to dietary thermogenesis, and our overall health depends upon the nutrients that we get from the foods we eat each day, which is why it’s important to eat a variety of clean, whole foods daily to ensure we get these essential nutrients for proper body function (6).
Improving your metabolism
There are certain intrinsic factors that we can’t alter concerning our metabolism, like age, sex, and gene variations, however, extrinsic factors like our food and lifestyle can be adjusted to improve our metabolic health (7).
Dietary nutrients can regulate gene expression, and how our cells function because nutrients and their metabolites are the building blocks of body structure, serve as fuel for the body, and direct the function of other molecules like proteins (7).
Consuming a balanced whole-food diet daily that supplies all essential nutrients for proper body function will support a healthy metabolism (8). Balanced diets that include a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats and fish, nuts and seeds, legumes, and dairy will provide essential macronutrients and micronutrients as well as non-nutrients like fiber and polyphenols that the body needs each day (8).
This article provides some important considerations when creating a personal nutrition plan.
A healthy diet will also support a healthy microbiome, which supports a healthy body (7). For example, when the gut microbiota receives food components like fiber, it creates substances like short-chain fatty acids that keep the host colon cells healthier (7).
In addition to consuming healthy food, it’s important to remember that some non-nutrient food additives, like artificial sweeteners, can create dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, increasing pathogenic bacteria (7). Avoiding harmful food additives will help support healthy gut microbiota and individual metabolism.
Daily movement and exercise reduce our risk for metabolic conditions like diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and obesity (5). Studies show that 150 minutes/week of moderate to vigorous physical activity will reduce type 2 diabetes risk by 30% (5). So, walking, biking, hiking, gardening, dancing, swimming, or playing basketball briskly for about 30 minutes a day 5 days each week will improve your metabolic health and reduce your risk for chronic conditions.
Other factors to consider include adequate hydration and sleep, positive social connections, and reducing harmful habits and situations like tobacco use, sedentary lifestyle, and stress (8).
Here’s a short video presentation on ways to improve your metabolic health.
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