Edited by Doctor Roberto Uliano
The common cause of obesity consists of an increase in caloric income compared to outputs and consequently in an inadequate energy expenditure compared to what you eat. The common therapy for overweight and obesity is to restrict caloric intake through a more or less restrictive diet. This is the most immediate method to balance the energy balance, but it has the side effect of decreasing lean mass and some components of the metabolism, which will be further explored later. "patient adherence to therapy both from a psychological and physical point of view, and in some cases lead to the distortion of eating and living habits. An important aspect that is still little considered by patients today is to increase energy expenditure by affecting everything related to metabolism. In this article we will learn more about metabolism in all its aspects and how it can be increased.
Metabolism in its classic definition corresponds to the expenditure of energy of the organism for all its vital functions. The cells, tissues, organs (liver, muscle, brain, heart, etc.) carry out their activities through the energy stored with Nutrition. The metabolism mainly comprises four components:
- BASAL METABOLISM;
- THERMOGENETIC ACTION OF FOODS (TID);
- ADAPTIVE THERMOGENESIS;
- ENERGY EXPENDITURE PER ACTIVITY ".
The basal metabolic rate
The basal metabolism represents the minimum energy expenditure for the survival of the organism. It constitutes 65-75% of the total metabolism. Although the basal metabolism is due to the essential activities of the organs (snc, liver, heart and other organs), its variations between individuals are mainly dependent on muscles, body surface area and lean mass (lean mass is all that is not adipose tissue). Women have a lower basal metabolic rate than men (5-10% less) due to a lower amount of lean mass and a greater amount of adipose tissue. The basal metabolism decreases by about 2-3% every decade of life in both men and women, as the lean mass is replaced by adipose tissue, which by its natura has an energetically lower metabolism. Regular physical exercise, both strength and endurance, is able to increase the basal metabolism by 8% and to counteract its decrease. nution with advancing age. During exercise, muscle metabolism can increase by up to 120 times.
The main factors affecting basal metabolic rate are listed below.
Thyroid hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine) in maximal quantities (thyrotoxicosis) increase metabolism by up to 50% -100%, while their deficiency (hypothyroidism) reduces it enormously. This is because thyroid hormones induce an increase in the speed of chemical reactions in many cells of the body. Functional adaptation to the climate (secretions more of these hormones in cold weather or less in hot weather) contributes to differences in metabolism. basal that are found in people living in different geographic regions; for example, people living in Arctic countries have a basal metabolic rate of 10-20% higher than inhabitants of tropical regions. These physiological bases go against the trend compared to the various beauty centers that advertise weight loss through rooms at temperatures above the norm. At the most, these machines can make you lose water and therefore induce dehydration. Rather than resorting to these useless strategies, machinery with slightly low temperatures should be invented. With the cold, therefore, unless there is a poor thyroid function, it is possible to lose weight more easily, with the precaution of not eating more (it is known that hunger increases with the cold, precisely because it increases metabolism). Consider that to increase the basal metabolic rate by 30% it would be necessary to administer three times the amount of thyroid hormones compared to the physiological ones. Which means huge side effects, which many people who have lost weight with the help of thyroid extracts (TRIAC) know well.
The male sex hormone, testosterone, can increase basal metabolic rate by 10-15%. Much of the effect of testosterone on metabolism is due to its anabolic action, which increases skeletal muscle. This is noticeable in adolescents who lose weight easily in the development phase. Many people who have testosterone deficiency can increase it through an enhancement sport. Women with excessive amounts of testosterone (characteristics of hirsutism and polycystic ovary) store visceral fat inside the belly and can undergo states of insulin resistance and therefore an altered metabolism of sugars.
Growth hormone (GH) can increase metabolism by 15-20%. Growing babies have a higher metabolism.
An important note is to be made on the hormones (testosterone, nandrolone, GH) that are administered in the various gyms to increase metabolism and muscle mass. Even if the results may be what you want, there are many side effects and the chances of running into serious diseases.
From what has been said in a weight loss program it is important to associate constant physical activity with a low-calorie diet. In fact, physical activity, in addition to increasing muscle mass, induces an increase in testosterone in men and stimulates the production of hormones (catecholamines) which, as we shall see, are capable of increasing the efficiency of thermogenesis, another important component of metabolism.
Measurement of basal metabolic rate.
The actual measurement can be accurately performed through indirect calorimetry, a fast and non-invasive reference method. It consists in measuring the consumption of oxygen and carbon dioxide inhaled and exhaled by the subject in a precise time interval. On the basis of the recorded data, the basal energy metabolism is then deduced. The actual measurement of metabolism lays the foundation for a correct nutritional program. In fact, eating a diet far below one's metabolism induces a loss of lean mass with a consequent decrease in the metabolism itself. Under these conditions, weight loss is more likely to stop very soon. In fact, the weight loss should not be more than one kilo per week, corresponding to about 1000 kcal less than the total daily energy expenditure.
Thermogenesis and metabolism "
