Metabolic Health

A brief history

It all started with Antoine Lavoisier in the 18^th century and his fascination with oxygen. Later, Justus von Liebig in 19^th century showed how the body transformed and exchange matter. But wait, there is more. In 1903, Nobel laureate Eduard Buchner discovered enzymes. And finally, the Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle) by Sir Hans Krebs in the 1930s and 1940s marked a significant milestone in understanding energy metabolism. Peaked by the discovery of ATP in the late 20^th century till now. We can send men to the moon, but yet to grasp the full extent and knowledge of the intricacies of our bodies' metabolism still seems to fully escape us.

Let's explain

We say the word metabolism, but what exactly does it mean? It is the process your body uses to take the food we eat and covert it into energy the body can use. It’s like a giant engine made up of tiny chemical reactions.

I discuss the connection between our body's health and our cells, which serve as the fundamental units of our body. All these cells work together to benefit the whole body according to our requirements.

Fast or slow metabolism is a simple assignment used to describe the metabolic rate. While people use these terms as generalities, they refer to different rates of energy usage. People with a high metabolism burn a lot of energy. Someone with a slow metabolism remains this way because their body takes longer to burn calories.

Your metabolism is dynamic. Meaning it can adapt to changes. These changes occur based on what you eat and the physical demand you place on it. There are other factors, like hormones, stress, and genetics.

How is our metabolic role important in health?

We know about metabolic syndrome, which is a constellation of conditions which occur together.

Abdominal obesity
High blood pressure
High blood sugar
High triglycerides
Low HDL

Many medical conditions are linked to a poor metabolism. The derangement of the metabolism skews the balance of your body's chemical engine to slow and negatively affect your health. The down stream and upstream effects can have long reaching implications.

Poor metabolic health is the gateway to cardiovascular disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the United states.

The list of medical problems grows longer as more research comes forth.

Diabetes
Obesity
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Sleep apnea
Chronic kidney disease
Neurological disorders
Chronic inflammation
Gout
Cancer

Let’s look are examples of the metabolism of three hypothetical people

You have someone who eats excessive calories. More than their body needs. It’s mostly processed carbohydrates and sugars. This person does not exercise. Over decades. This person will store calories as fat. Their metabolism will not only slow over time but they will have a slowed metabolism because there need to burn energy is low. To make health matter worse, this person will be at a very high risk of developing chronic medical conditions and the associated complications.

Another person. Who is normal ideal weight and eats a deficit of calories off and on will for years will have a different metabolism. If they are very active, their body needs to burn energy. As long as they maintain this strategy, they will maintain a relatively healthy metabolism.

Then there is that person. You know them. Super health freak. They eat high daily protein, healthy fats and limited carbs. Calories count while weight lifting and building muscle. Their aerobic capacity is top-notch because they run 16 miles a week. This person meditates daily and is low stress even when being yelled at by a road rage imbecile.

As a comparison, if all three individuals walk 2 miles, person 1 will burn minimal calories, person two will burn more calories than person 1 and person 3 will burn even more calories even though they all walked the same distance. One of the reason you would want to supercharge your metabolism is not only so you train your body to burn as many calories with minimal effort but also to maintain low body fat and lean muscle mass. Funny how sitting around and being less active makes that even harder.

How can you determine if your metabolism is in good condition?

Fasting glucose levels–less than 126 g/dl

Fasting insulin levels - 5-20 micro international units per milliliter (μIU/mL).

Blood pressure readings–ideally around 120/80 mm/Hg

Ratio of Triglycerides/HDL– ideally less than 2

Waist to height ratio–less than 0.5

How do you maintain a healthy metabolism?

There is no magic medication or pill. You need to train your body to maintain low body fat percentage and higher lean muscle mass. This state of body composition is the ideal for a healthy metabolism.

Adequate protein intake 0.8-1g per Kg of body per day
Drink 2-3L of water per day
7-8 hours of quality sleep
Remove processed sugars and carbohydrates
Focus on eating whole foods in a balanced fashion
Manage stress
Resistance train 3-4x per weeks to increase muscle mass and quality
Increase your Non-exercise thermogenic activities

Bringing it all together

The metabolism happens at the level of the cell. Gene regulation, hormone activity and stress modulate the metabolism along with our activity level and food intake. You can easily track metabolic health by using a simple lab slip for blood testing and taking some simple body measurements. As we age are metabolism slows down but we have certain levers, we can use to keep our metabolism in check. A healthy metabolism keeps chronic disease at bay.