Metabolism is a concept that most people are familiar with. It most often appears in conversations about losing or gaining weight and is interpreted as metabolism. There is a lot of truth in this. Metabolism actually leads to obtaining energy and nutrients from food and using them appropriately. However, it should be strongly emphasized that we are not talking about one reaction here. This is a more complicated issue. What is metabolism? What are the types of metabolic changes and what factors influence their rate? We answer each of these questions below.
What is metabolism?
Many complex biochemical processes take place in the cells of a living organism, the purpose of which is to obtain, use and store energy derived from nutrients. This is what metabolism is. The definition of this concept clearly indicates that metabolic changes serve not only the development of the body, but also the maintenance of all life functions. Therefore, metabolic mechanisms determine the functioning of our body by maintaining cell life. These tasks are carried out in two ways: by obtaining energy from nutrients that we supply with food and by ensuring an adequate supply of precursors (substances occurring in the first stage of the reaction) for the production of macromolecules. Examples include nitrogenous bases, which participate in the construction of DNA, or amino acids, used to build proteins.
What does all this mean in practice? When we supply nutrients to the body, they are first broken down into building elements, i.e. precursors. This process leads to the release of energy. Next, our body activates mechanisms whose aim is to use the generated energy and building elements to produce macromolecules and maintain life processes.
To ensure the proper functioning of all internal organs, the human body uses from 50 to 70 percent. energy generated. This cost is called your basal metabolic rate. Therefore, PPM is energy expenditure related to, among others, with breathing, cell reconstruction, work of the brain, heart and other organs.
If PPM uses only part of the energy resources, what happens to the rest? About 30-50 percent energy covers the above-basal metabolism. This resource is used to carry out all the activities we perform during the day. At this point, it is worth mentioning work, both physical and mental. However, it should be emphasized that PPPM also includes energy expenditure related to, among others, with digestion and absorption of nutrients and thermoregulation.
Types of metabolism
We already know what metabolism is. So let's look at the types of reactions that take place in the body's cells. Metabolic processes are divided into:
- anabolism,
- catabolism.
Anabolic metabolism is the consumption of energy that produces macromolecules from small building blocks. It can therefore be said that these processes enable the synthesis of ingredients that are necessary for the proper functioning of cells and the construction of new ones.
So what is catabolism? During catabolic transformations, energy is produced by the breakdown of macromolecules into small molecules. These reactions therefore enable energy to be obtained through the degradation of energetic particles.
To simplify it all, anabolism, as a synthesis process, leads to tissue expansion, while catabolism, as a breakdown process, results in its reduction. Does this mean that catabolic reactions are undesirable? Well, no. Anabolism is strongly related to catabolism - anabolic processes can occur thanks to the energy generated during catabolic processes. Both must therefore be present in the right balance. We then talk about a state of homeostasis.
When differentiating metabolic processes, it is also worth mentioning resting and active metabolism. The first of these indicates the amount of energy necessary to maintain organ functions when the body does not undertake any activity. The second one determines the energy demand that will satisfy all body functions during exercise.
What influences metabolism?
Other terms you may often come across are fast and slow metabolism. What is that? People with a fast metabolism can eat large meals, do not engage in any physical activity, and still have no problem maintaining proper body weight. In the case of people with a slow metabolism, the opposite is true - they gain weight very easily, so they have to control the amount of meals they eat.
The rate of metabolic changes is largely determined by genetic conditions. That's right, metabolism is a hereditary issue. It may therefore happen that a person inherits a slow or fast metabolism from his or her parents or even grandparents. It cannot be ignored that the course of metabolic processes is also determined by other factors. Here you should point out:
- sex,
- body composition,
- age,
- climate.
In women, metabolic processes run slower. This is due to differences in body mass composition - men usually have more muscle tissue. This brings us to the second point.
Muscular people have faster metabolisms than slim and obese people. This is due to the fact that muscles use much more energy than fat tissue. It has been proven that each additional kilogram of muscle burns 65 kcal during the day.
Did you know that at the age of about 30, the metabolic rate begins to decrease by 0.2%. annually? This is due to the fact that at this time the body begins to lose approximately 0.25 kg of dry muscle mass per year. It is worth noting that in postmenopausal women, the metabolic rate begins to decline much more rapidly than in men of the same age, which is related to hormonal changes.
How does climate relate to metabolic rate? Scientific research has proven that people living in cold areas need to produce more energy to maintain proper body temperature. This is why people living in the north have a faster metabolism than people in southern countries.
Metabolism control – can you influence your metabolism?
It may seem that since the rate of metabolic changes is influenced by so many factors that we have no influence on, these processes cannot be controlled. Fortunately, this is only a half-truth. Metabolism can be accelerated or slowed down to some extent.
It is important to realize that metabolic changes involve many correlated biochemical reactions that take place within the cell. Each is linked to the next until a specific goal is achieved. These connections are called metabolic pathways.
The activity of metabolic pathways is one of the factors that influence the rate of metabolism. It's true, many of them we have no control over, but some we can control. By doing it skillfully, we can speed up or slow down the metabolism.
What speeds up metabolism?
To accelerate the rate of metabolic changes, first you need to change your lifestyle from passive to active. All physical activity has a beneficial effect on metabolism, but not all of them boost these processes permanently. For example, aerobic training leads to a temporary increase in active metabolism. Temporary, i.e. within the training unit. Interval training is different.
This form of activity involves performing exercises with variable intensity. The trainee exercises in the aerobic heart rate zone, and after a certain period of time increases the pace to bring his heart rate into the anaerobic zone. How does this result in a constant increase in metabolic rates? Firstly, while performing intervals, the body absorbs the so-called oxygen debt. This means that for at least a few hours after exercising, our body continues to consume more oxygen, which forces our cells to consume more calories. Secondly, increased oxygen consumption, during and after training, leads to faster energy utilization by the mitochondria. Periodically repeated training allows you to increase their number in the cells, which in turn accelerates the body's energy consumption.
Resistance training is also very useful in the fight to increase the metabolic rate. By performing strength exercises, we stimulate the growth of muscle mass. Greater muscle mass means greater energy consumption, and greater energy consumption means faster metabolism.
Another thing to speed up metabolic changes is to take care of proper eating habits. Everyone probably knows the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? It's 100 percent there. right. Scientific research has proven that a meal consumed within a maximum of 60 minutes after waking up speeds up the metabolism.
It is important not only when, but also what we eat. Meals should be rich in all important vitamins and trace elements. Here you should point out:
- B vitamins,
- calcium,
- phosphorus,
- magnesium,
- zinc,
- selenium,
- potassium,
- sodium,
- manganese,
- iodine.
Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids are also extremely important.
It is worth knowing that some spices, especially spicy ones, also have a beneficial effect on accelerating metabolic processes. Cayenne pepper, black pepper, chili - these are some of them, but turmeric is also very effective. How do spices speed up metabolism? By increasing body temperature, which leads to an increase in thermogenesis.
Meals cannot always provide everything that has a beneficial effect on metabolic processes. This is where EATYX dietary supplements come in handy. The products we have developed contain active ingredients that not only increase the metabolism rate, but also help deal with all the negative effects of a slow metabolism - they support the burning of fat tissue and restore the healthy appearance of the skin, hair and nails. eatyx HYPER DETOX 360 is most useful in the fight against slow metabolism, as its ingredients help remove toxins from the body. You need to know that harmful substances accumulated in the body can have an extremely negative impact on the rate of metabolic changes.
To summarize, the following factors influence the increase in metabolic rate:
- properly performed physical exercises,
- healthy eating habits,
- effective supplementation .
What slows down your metabolism?
Some people struggle not with a slowed but with an accelerated metabolism, which results in the inability to gain weight or build muscle mass. In this case, the matter is a bit more difficult.
In order to slow down metabolic changes, self-proclaimed experts often recommend radically reducing water intake, consciously causing vitamin D deficiency, eating meals at irregular times, reducing sleep time and eliminating fiber from the diet. We do not recommend any of these methods! While each of them can actually slow down the metabolism, it will come at a huge cost in the form of a significant deterioration of health.
So how do you slow down your metabolism? The basis is a properly composed menu, taking into account the appropriate caloric surplus and the appropriate balance of macronutrients.
Another thing is the elimination of toxins from the body. You need to know that toxic substances can not only slow down the metabolism (in people whose metabolism is normal), but also limit the absorption of nutrients from food, which translates into low body weight. With this in mind, it should be said that the eatyx HYPER DETOX 360 supplement may prove to be extremely useful not only for people struggling with overweight, but also for everyone who cannot gain weight.
