People often say that they keep gaining weight despite eating a healthy diet.
I’ve been skeptical about this for a long time, but a surprising new study published in the journal Nature suggests there really is something to that claim.
Researchers at the University of Aberdeen and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing used a method to accurately measure metabolic rate to show that the average metabolic rate in the UK and elsewhere has declined significantly over the past 40 years.
In fact, researchers calculated that men burn about 220 calories a day and women burn 122, fewer calories than a person of the same size and build would have consumed in the 1980s.
This is a very large decrease, large enough to explain most of the weight gain that has occurred in recent decades. But why has the average metabolic rate declined so dramatically?
Then there is Total Energy Expenditure (TEE). This is the energy you expend doing physical activities like running, vacuuming, walking the dog, fidgeting, etc., and adds to your BMR.
Metabolic rate is a measure of how many calories you burn each day to keep you exercising. He has two parts to it. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of calories you need to power vital functions like breathing and driving blood around your body. This accounts for about 70% of the calories we consume each day.
Then there is Total Energy Expenditure (TEE). This is the energy you expend doing physical activities like running, vacuuming, walking the dog, fidgeting, etc., and adds to your BMR.
Scientists measure TEE using the “double-labeled water” method. First, ask people to drink a special kind of water in which the hydrogen and oxygen molecules have been replaced by naturally occurring “heavy” forms.
A urine sample is then collected and, with the help of sophisticated mathematics, the number of calories that person consumes in a typical day can be estimated.
In a new study published in Nature, British and Chinese scientists examined data collected using this method on more than 4,000 people in the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe since the 1980s. And they made some amazing discoveries. First of all, the rise in obesity over the past 40 years is at least partially due to us becoming lazier, spending more time in front of screens and thus burning fewer calories. There is a widely held belief.
However, this study found the exact opposite – if anything, people are becoming more active and burning more calories than they did in the 1980s.
To the scientists’ surprise, they found that their basal metabolic rate (that is, the calories they burn just by being alive) decreased, and their total energy expenditure dropped significantly.
They point out that one of the reasons for this is the reduction in consumption of meat and dairy (which is rich in saturated fats) and the increase in ultra-processed foods, which are high in sugary carbohydrates, resulting in a large increase in our diet. I think it’s a change. For years, people were encouraged to reduce their consumption of saturated fats, which were thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, but the evidence for this was not as strong.
As researchers point out, one unintended side effect of following this advice may have been a lower average metabolic rate.
Studies in rats have shown that lowering the level of saturated fat in the diet lowers metabolic rate.
Similarly, there is evidence that switching to a ketogenic diet, which is high in fat and low in carbohydrates, results in a smaller decline in metabolic rate than switching to a low-fat diet.
A 2012 study in the New England Journal of Medicine assigned 21 overweight or obese adults to a ketogenic diet followed by a low-fat diet for one month, or vice versa. They experienced a decrease in metabolic rate no matter which diet they followed (predictably because people who lost weight and underweight had a slower metabolic rate), but this was significantly greater when they were on a low-fat diet. It grew.
On the ketogenic diet, the amount of calories they burned decreased by only 95 calories per day, compared to 423 calories per day on the low-fat diet (because keto has the ability to lose and maintain weight). I think that’s why it’s a more efficient method). off).
Another possible reason for the lower basal metabolic rate is increased home heating. Before central heating became commonplace, homes were cold all winter long and you had to burn a lot of calories to keep your body temperature in a healthy range.
On the plus side of this, one of the natural adaptations of living in a colder home is that your body produces more brown fat, which turns food into energy. The more brown fat you have, the higher your metabolic rate.
So is there anything you can do to increase your metabolic rate?
Aside from eating more saturated fat and turning the thermostat down a few more degrees, as I get older I’ve been doing more resistance exercises like pushups and squats because my muscles burn energy even when I’m asleep. increase.
I also eat more spicy foods and drink green tea, both of which have been shown to help my metabolism.
It is recommended that you consume more protein as you age as it helps maintain muscle and bones. Because of its use, it also increases your metabolic rate.
Finally, drinking lots of water and caffeine will give your metabolism a little boost.
A new genetic test for postoperative painA few years ago, I decided to hypnotize myself and test the power of hypnosis to control pain by sticking needles into the flesh of my hand.
Genes that this test looks for include those that control the release of dopamine.
This was not successful. Because I couldn’t put the needle in before I had to stop because of the pain.
So I was surprised to see hypnosis being used more and more in hospitals to reduce pain before and after surgery.
This suggests that either the hypnotist I was using wasn’t very good, or I’m one of those who don’t respond to this approach.
Now, a team at Stanford University in the United States has developed a genetic test to identify patients most likely to benefit from hypnosis.
Genes that this test looks for include those that control the release of dopamine.
The idea is that a simple blood test can help determine if hypnosis is worth taking before surgery.
Beware the Burning Rays of the British SunI usually don’t pay much attention to celebrity life, but a recent photo of Khloe Kardashian’s face after having her early stage melanoma removed shocked me.
In the UK, the incidence of melanoma and other types of skin cancer has risen significantly.This is almost entirely due to excessive sunlight exposure
It’s a dangerous form of skin cancer, and it’s the second that Chloe, 38, has had it removed. Perhaps she has some kind of genetic predisposition or is just unlucky. She applauds the fact that she’s stepping out and warning her young fans about the dangers of over-exposure to UV rays from the sun.
In the UK, the incidence of melanoma and other types of skin cancer has risen significantly. This is almost entirely due to too much sun exposure. For example, you don’t get as much sun in the UK as you do in California, but you can still get burned here.
Fair skin is a major risk factor, which could explain why my wife, Claire, recently discovered a skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), just under her lip.
BCC usually appears as small shiny pink or pearly white blobs, or red scaly patches (Claire has removed it. You can find photos on her Instagram page @drclarebailey.
Keep in mind that sun exposure is essential to boost vitamin D levels, but avoiding burns is just as important.
