Why Does Metabolism Slow with Age?

“Visit MRC Sioux City to Learn More About Your Hormonal Needs”

An individual’s metabolic needs typically slow with age due to a natural loss of lean muscle mass (sarcopenia), decreased physical activity that leads to a more sedentary lifestyle, and key hormonal shifts throughout life. Since muscle is highly metabolic and burns more calories at rest than fat, loss of this critical calorie-burning tissue causes the body to gradually burn fewer calories each day starting as early as 30 years of age.

In addition to reduced activity levels during aging, hormonal changes are linked to declines in estrogen, testosterone, and thyroid hormones that affect the body’s overall composition as well as the muscle maintenance needed to repair damaged tissue and create new muscle. This is where following a personalized protein-forward dietary plan can help mitigate muscle loss that can easily lead to less-attractive abdominal deposits as you age.

Indeed metabolic changes throughout the body are accelerated by common hormonal shifts that are directly involved with how the body regulates burning of calories, storing of excess fat, and managing energy. Declining estrogen levels in women can reduce metabolism and cause changes in fat distribution. Not surprisingly, low estrogen in men that’s often linked to low testosterone can lead to fat mass gain, especially as belly fat in the man’s midsection.

Does your metabolic rate steadily slow through adulthood?

While it was a common belief that an adult’s metabolic rate starts to plummet during middle age, a recent study indicated that the metabolic rate in men and women remains remarkably stable from age 20 through 60. However, there are reasons for a perceived slowdown as fat gain during midlife is driven by biological changes as well as changes in lifestyle factors. For example, muscle is metabolically more active and burns more calories at rest than fat. Since adults usually get busy around age 30, weight gain is linked to gradual changes in diet and less exercise. So, even though your metabolism may begin to slow during midlife, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) plateaus between the ages of 20 to 60 years. After that, it decreases around 1% per year. With that said, experts say after age 40 to 50 weight loss often becomes significantly more difficult due to hormonal shifts, such as higher cortisol levels from stress that can increase belly fat and make it harder to lose the unintended weight that was gained.

PROTEIN-FIRST CAN BALANCE WEIGHT-RELATED HORMONES

Personalized protein-first menus work to balance weight-related hormones by reducing hunger (ghrelin) while boosting satiety signaling hormones like peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that lead to less calorie intake due to feelings of fullness (leptin). For starters, consuming lean sources of protein first in a meal helps to stabilize blood sugar levels to avoid insulin resistance and support ongoing weight management by encouraging fat burning. By lowering intake of refined carbs and sugar, a protein-first diet can prevent unwanted fat storage.

Of the three primary macronutrients, protein has the highest thermic effect of food (TEF) and requires the body to burn 20-30 percent of its ingested calories for digestion and metabolism. This higher energy cost than carbohydrates or fats can boost your metabolic rate and burn extra calories (about 100 each day) while producing greater satiety than the other macros. Generally speaking, high TEF sources of animal products and plant-based whole foods include fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, edamame, spinach, asparagus, tofu, leafy greens, and lentils.

Both animal and plant-based proteins are commonly referred to as the building blocks of life, as all human cells contain proteins made from 21 different amino acids connected together in long chains. These acids are arranged into millions of combinations to form thousands of new proteins that are responsible for growth, repair, and defense against diseases. Dietary fiber from low-glycemic whole foods provide many health benefits including aiding in weight loss, especially in those struggling with obesity or overweight individuals who suffer with weight-related diseases.

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Medication-based weight loss programs using therapies like GLP-1 receptor agonists can benefit greatly from a protein-first dietary approach combined with regular exercise like walking. In addition, strength training using your own body weight or simple resistance bands can help maintain calorie-burning muscle mass throughout your journey. So, incorporating high thermic effect foods into your diet can help support hormonal signaling to maximize your results. If you’re trying to decide whether a prescription-based weight loss plan or a more holistic metabolic weight loss program is right for you, contact MRC Sioux City today. One of our weight loss coaches will be in touch to discuss how hormone imbalances, genetic factors and key lifestyle habits may have slowed your metabolism and led to unintended weight gain. After all, hormonal balance can be restored and disrupted metabolic rates can be reset with a personalized approach.