“Metabolic Speed” or “metabolism speed”, an organism’s metabolic rate, which refers to the speed of chemical reactions in the body’s cells. Metabolism consists of a series of processes in the body, including energy production, breaking down nutrients, cellular repair, and growth.. These processes are necessary for the organism to live, grow, produce energy, and interact with its environment.
Metabolic rate is expressed as the amount of energy expended per unit of time. This rate varies depending on factors such as individual’s genetic characteristics, age, gender, weight, muscle mass, hormone levels, overall health status, and level of physical activity.
A fast metabolism allows for higher energy expenditure, which helps individuals maintain weight control. Metabolic rate varies from person to person and depends on various factors. For example, metabolism generally slows down with age, which can make weight management more challenging. Factors such as physical activity, body muscle mass ratio, and regular nutrition can influence metabolic rate, so playing a significant role in overall health and weight management.
Basal metabolic rate is the minimum amount of energy required to sustain the body’s basic functions. Simply, basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy or calories your body consumes during sleep and/or complete rest.
-Basal metabolic rate is higher in young individuals and lower in elderly individuals.
-Tall, slender individuals tend to have a higher basal metabolic rate.
-Basal metabolic rate is higher in children and pregnant women.
-Individuals with lean tissues tend to have a higher basal metabolic rate, while it’s lower in those with fatty tissues.
-Inflammatory illnesses increase basal metabolic rate.
-Stress hormones increase basal metabolic rate.
-Cold ambient temperatures increase basal metabolic rate.
-Basal metabolic rate decreases during fasting or severe hunger.
-Energy expenditure for basal metabolism constitutes 60-70% of daily consumption. Therefore, it is crucial for energy expenditure.
Exercise increases metabolic rate, which in turn can increase consuming energy , leading to positive effects on weight control and overall health. Here are the effects of exercise on metabolic rate:
1.Increased Consuming Energy: During exercise, the body accelerates metabolic processes to produce more energy by active muscles. This increases oxygen consumption and raises body temperature by increasing heart rate and respiration rate. All of these lead to increased consuming energy during and after exercise.
2.Increased Muscle Mass: Regular exercise can increase or maintain muscle mass. Muscles consume more energy even at rest. Therefore, having more muscle mass can increase overall metabolic rate.
3.Metabolic Flexibility: Exercise helps the optimizing of body energy production and utilization processes. Aerobic exercise increases energy production using oxygen, while resistance training triggers anaerobic processes, enhancing metabolic flexibility.
4.Long-Term Effects: The effects of exercise on metabolism can persist not only during exercise but also after. This is referred to as “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” or EPOC. After exercise, the body consumes more oxygen and increases energy expenditure.
5.Hormonal Changes: Exercise causes changing in certain hormones. For example, catecholamines (such as adrenaline and noradrenaline) and growth hormone released during exercise increase energy expenditure and affect fat metabolism.
Therefore, regular exercise increases metabolic rate, which positively impacts weight control, body composition, and overall health. However, these effects can vary from person to person and should be evaluated in conjunction with other factors. Therefore, an exercise program tailored to the individual’s health status and goals should be established.
The most commonly used formula for calculating Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, which is as follows:
In this formula:
– Weight is in kilograms.
– Height is in centimeters.
– Age is in years
This formula represents only the energy expenditure at rest and does not account for activity level. Therefore, to calculate daily energy expenditure, BMR should be multiplied by an activity level multiplier.
– The number of meals can be increased and portions can be reduced. This keeps the digestive system active and prevents a slowdown in metabolism.
-Intense exercise program is preferred and activity level is increased. – Consuming spicy food can increase this rate.
– Drinks such as tea and coffee have a metabolism-accelerating effect due to the caffeine they contain.
– Increasing water consumption can increase metabolic rate.
– Pay attention to your sleep patterns. Insufficient sleep slows the metabolic rate.
