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Many people say that “the older you get, the harder it is to lose weight”. The fact is that as we age, not only do we lose weight, but a variety of chronic diseases become more prevalent, all of which are direct or indirect effects of a lower metabolism.

There are many causes of low metabolism; poor lifestyle habits and natural aging have a key influence, with reduced exercise and muscle loss being the main causes. Aging is unstoppable, but we can reduce low metabolism.

Why Does Metabolism Slow Down?

First, let’s be clear, what is metabolism? What are the factors that affect it? Metabolism refers to all the chemical reactions in the body that keep it alive and functioning properly. Metabolism is not the only thing that happens when you exercise. Resting activities, such as resting, standing, or even lying down, also require metabolism because breathing is also a major function of metabolism.

We often use metabolic rate or calories burned as a measure. The faster the metabolism, the more calories burned and the easier it is to lose weight.

Factors That Affect Metabolism

Metabolic rate is influenced by four key factors, including resting metabolic rate, the thermic effect of food, and the calories produced by exercise and non-exercise activities.

• Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the number of calories burned at rest or during sleep.” You can lose weight while lying down”, but only if you have a high resting metabolic rate.
• The thermic effect of food (TEF) is the number of calories burned during the digestion and absorption of food. the TEF is not low, averaging about 10% of the calories consumed each day.
• Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) refers to the calories consumed by activities that are neither exercise nor rest, such as standing, washing dishes, and other household activities.

The above types of exertion constitute the body’s basal metabolism and do not include the additional exertion of exercise. It is well known that exercise, whether aerobic or anaerobic, burns energy. In addition to the basic factors mentioned above, there are age, height, muscle mass, and hormonal factors.

How Does Age Affect Metabolism?

Studies have shown that metabolism slows with age due to decreased activity, muscle loss, and internal tissue aging.

Muscle Loss

Muscle loss is the main cause of a lower metabolic rate. Unless it is an elderly person who maintains exercise habits, has a relatively heavy workload, and has a sufficient diet and nutrition, muscle loss is not serious. It is an irresistible factor brought on by age, and studies show that adults lose an average of 3-8% of their muscle every decade after age 30. Muscle loss is painful and can lead to slower movement, difficulty developing strength, and a severe inability to care for oneself; loss of muscle protection also makes one susceptible to fractures, weakness, and illness.

Increasing muscle mass increases resting metabolic rate. Resting metabolic rate includes the activity of lying or sitting at rest, but this process still relies on mitochondria for energy, and skeletal muscle has more mitochondria, so it plays a decisive role. One study examined muscle loss and resting metabolic rate in 959 people and found that 70-year-olds had 9 kg less muscle and 11% less resting metabolic rate than 40-year-olds.

Decreased Activity

Activity includes both exercise and non-exercise activities. The amount of exercise varies from person to person, but non-exercise activity is similar for all individuals and decreases with age. Individuals who exercised when they were younger may be active up to 50% of their daily caloric expenditure, but without additional exercise, their daily activity is only 10-30%.

Muscle loss and reduced activity are interactive; muscle mass is affected by activity level; lower activity levels lead to muscle loss; and muscle loss leads to more inactivity.

Aging Affects Mitochondria

Mitochondria are “energy generators” and are required for almost all chemical reactions. Chemical reactions in the body constitute metabolism, and the two cellular components that drive these reactions are the mitochondria and the sodium-potassium pump.

The mitochondria provide energy to the cells and the sodium-potassium pump helps generate nerve impulses that stimulate muscle and heart contractions. As we age, the efficiency of both the sodium-potassium pump and the mitochondria decreases. The decreased efficiency of mitochondria is due to their lifespan limitations and also due to damage caused by inflammatory factors produced by senescent cells. In addition, during aging, there is DNA damage, oxidative stress, and other chronic inflammation, and the repair process requires the processing of both mitochondria and sodium-potassium pumps, depleting the lifespan of both.

A study comparing mitochondrial changes in younger and older adults found that older adults had 20% fewer mitochondria and nearly 50% less efficient mitochondrial energy supply. However, the impact of these internal factors remains limited, and the main causes of reduced metabolic rate remain muscle loss and reduced activity.

How to Maintain the Metabolism and Not Slow Down?

The metabolism of older adults decreases due to muscle loss and decreased exercise. Here are some ways to help maintain your metabolism

Don’t go on a long-term diet and eat enough nutrients.

Dieting is a misconception that many people have about weight loss. Dieting to lose weight is ineffective up to a certain point because it lowers metabolism and even causes irreversible damage. Once basal metabolism is reduced and difficult to repair, the body’s defense mechanisms mistakenly believe it is experiencing extremes, so it reduces all kinds of activities, especially resting metabolic rate.

Some older adults, although not dieting, tend to eat less nutrient-dense foods, such as high carbohydrate foods, and rarely eat meat and good fats. Having enough calories without adequate nutrition can also reduce metabolic rate. Good-quality fats and proteins are essential nutrients. Therefore, try not to reduce protein in your diet, because protein increases the thermic effect of food the fastest and is a powerful way to increase your metabolic rate.

Stick to exercise

Exercise builds muscle and is the fastest way to boost your metabolism. Exercise is not limited to one form; high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which involves fast and intense bursts, is more effective at boosting metabolism than other types of exercise. High-intensity interval training continues to burn calories even after the exercise is over. This is known as the “afterburn effect” and is also very effective at reducing and burning fat.

In addition to high-intensity aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, especially strength training, is also necessary. This is because strength training allows for rapid muscle growth or at least muscle retention. Non-exercise activities can also be increased as much as possible, such as “being able to stand rather than sit and sit rather than lie down. Sitting not only lowers metabolism and makes you prone to being overweight, but it can also lead to diseases such as back muscle strains.

Eat more of these metabolism-boosting foods

In addition to protein, many foods can help boost your metabolism. Foods are rich in the minerals iron and selenium, which control the proper functioning of the thyroid gland that regulates metabolism. Examples include meat, seafood, nuts, and seeds. The capsaicin in chili peppers can also increase the rate at which the body burns calories, thus boosting metabolism. Black coffee, cocoa, and green tea can also increase the metabolic rate because they are rich in caffeine. Tea also has catechins, which work synergistically with caffeine to increase the metabolic rate. Apple cider vinegar can also increase metabolic rate, and the vinegar itself helps increase fat burning. Apple cider vinegar slows gastric emptying and enhances satiety, which can help with weight loss.

Some good fats can also work well, such as MCT oil, which contains medium-chain triglycerides, and studies have shown that MCT oil can increase the metabolic rate. And once absorbed, MCT oil is converted directly into energy in the liver, producing ketone bodies that can help suppress appetite and reduce abstinence.

Conclusion

As we age, all aspects of functional decline. To maintain metabolism, it is necessary to ensure the intake of some key nutrients, protein, B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium, etc. Also due to the decline in estrogen levels, many people are reluctant to exercise. It is recommended to increase the amount of exercise and do more outdoor exercises. Along with exercise, eat more highly nutritious foods that contain protein and good fats, such as grass-fed beef and lamb, eggs, pork liver, salmon, oysters, MCT oil, etc.