New Research Finds Metabolism Remains Steady From Age 20 To 60

By Stephen M

Weight gain is becoming a common phenomenon in persons within the 40s and 50s. Several factors contribute to this, including pregnancy, habits, or medical conditions. This has resulted in many people hitting the gym or adopting other measures to stay in shape. One thing we mostly ignore in all this is our metabolic rate. The common belief is that metabolism is faster during the 20s. Sorry, this has been debunked by recent studies.

Recent research has found that metabolism remains steady from age 20 to 60. Published in August, the studies sampled over 6,400 people from infancy to age 95.

What is metabolism?

Metabolism is the breakdown and conversion of food into energy. According to the research, the process changes as you grow, but not as fast as we thought initially. You burn more energy as a child than you do at age 20. This means your metabolism slows down with age, and by age 20, it becomes steady until you reach 60. From there it starts to decline to another level.

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Findings by the new research

The initial thought was that men had faster metabolism than women and slowed at age 40 or 30. However, the new research says a different thing. The new finding is that men burn more fat daily because the average man has a larger body with less fat. Therefore, if a woman is of the same size, weight, and height as a man, they may have equal metabolism. What makes the difference is the amount of body fat. Two people of the same bodyweight but different amounts of fat have different metabolic rates. The one with lower fat has a higher burning rate even at the same age. That said, the rate remains constant from 20 to 60 years in each person.

Can you boost your metabolism?

Changing your metabolic rate is very difficult. You can’t just change/increase it by drinking green tea or taking supplements. You can only attain that with hard work and consistency, like doing resistance training that builds the muscles.

Why you can gain weight in your 40s

Habits like late eating, less sleep, and less exercise can contribute to your weight gain. Also, medical conditions like hypothyroidism, type 2 diabetes, depression, cognitive heart failure, and menopause can all result in weight gain.