Difference between revisions of "Decrease Your Metabolism"

[[Category: Health]]

#Understand that "slow metabolisms" aren't necessarily responsible for weight gain. If you want to gain weight, go [[Gain Weight Healthily|here]] for a discussion of how to do so in a healthy way. Doctors generally agree that other factors are more responsible for weight gain or weight loss than your metabolism.<ref name="rf17693">http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/slow-metabolism/AN00618</ref> These factors include:

#Take naps.  Every time you sleep, your metabolic rate dips and then remains suppressed for a period after you awaken.<ref name="rf17694">“[What could not beauty be lack of]?”  ''Health Care''.  February 6, 2013.  “The person is in a sleep state. The metabolic rate will reach a minimum. The early morning awakening, metabolism will gradually return to normal levels.”</ref><ref name="rf17695">William J. Evans, William Evans, and Gerald Secor Couzens (2003), [http://books.google.com/books?id=cTC3em8lCigC&pg=PA77&dq=awakening+basal+metabolic+rate+lowest&hl=en&sa=X&ei=l_FVUZWTNJOm9gTtoYHYAg&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=awakening%20basal%20metabolic%20rate%20lowest&f=false AstroFit: The Astronaut Program for Anti-Aging], Simon and Schuster, pg. 77, ISBN 9780743216821.  “Your metabolism, which is measured in the lab as the number of calories per minute per kilogram of body weight you use, is lowest upon awakening and highest during vigorous activities.”</ref>

#Replace simple carbohydrates (sugar) with complex carbohydrates (starch and fiber) when possible.  Studies show that sugars and fruit are digested and absorbed more rapidly than complex carbohydrates, such as bread, producing a rollercoaster of blood sugar with high peaks and low troughs.<ref name="wolever">Thomas M. S. Wolever (2006), [http://books.google.com/books?id=_UkSoDwCN80C&pg=PA65&dq=sugar+absorbed+more+rapidly&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kAr3UMrzFZC68wTalYFo&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=sugar%20absorbed%20more%20rapidly&f=false The Glycaemic Index: A Physiological Classification of Dietary Carbohydrate], CABI, pg. 65, ISBN 9781845930516. "Indeed, blood glucose responses elicited by pure sugars and fruits suggest rapid absorption because the blood glucose concentration rises more quickly and falls more rapidly than after bread (Wolever ''et al''., 1993; Lee and Wolever, 1998)."</ref>  It has also been shown<ref name="rf17696">Daly ME ''et al''.  [http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/6/1516.long Acute fuel selection in response to high-sucrose and high-starch meals in healthy men].  ''Am J Clin Nutr.'' 2000 Jun;71(6):1516-24.</ref> that the total carbohydrate oxidation over a six-hour period is lower with complex carbohydrates (bread and maize starch) than with sugars.<ref name="wolever"/>

#* Sucrose (table sugar) also contains fructose, while complex carbohydrates are made up exclusively of glucose units. Fructose consumption results in greater thermogenesis (calorie burning) than glucose consumption.<ref name="rf17697">Tappy L et al.  [http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/250/6/E718.short "Comparison of thermogenic effect of fructose and glucose in normal humans"].  ''Am J Physiol.'' 1986 Jun;250(6 Pt 1):E718-24.</ref>

#* Choose high-fiber foods such as grains (especially whole grains) and vegetables.  High-fiber meals have been shown to reduce thermogenesis (calorie burning) for six hours after eating.<ref name="rf17698">Jie Kang, [http://books.google.com/books?id=GK7Nxk842cwC&pg=PA147&dq=dietary+fiber+thermogenesis&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3WamUMP7JZKe8gSb4oCQAg&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=dietary%20fiber%20thermogenesis&f=false ''Bioenergetics Primer for Exercise Science''], pg. 147.  "The TEF ([[wikipedia:Thermic_effect_of_food|thermic effect of food]]) was 6.9% with the lower-fiber meal, 5.1% after the [[wikipedia:Glucomannan|glucomannan]]-supplemented meal, and 4.5% after the high-fiber meal.  These effects were particularly apparent from 2 to 6 h after ingestion."</ref>

#Include nuts and seeds in the diet.  Of all the foods you can eat, nuts and seeds, which contain almost no moisture and provide healthful unsaturated fats, have the highest caloric density, packing in the most calories per ounce.  Polyunsaturated fats, such as those in nuts, have been shown to be oxidized more slowly than monounsaturated fats.<ref name="rf17699"> Jones PJH. Pencharz PB, Clandinin MT.  “[http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/42/5/769.long Whole body oxidation of dietary fatty acids: implications for energy utilization].”  ''Am J Clin Nutr''. 1985 Nov;42:769-777.</ref>  Nuts and seeds are also rich in the amino acid arginine.  Arginine is used by the body to make nitric oxide, a gas that has been shown to reduce the metabolic rate.<ref name="rf17700">Shen W, Hintze TH, Wolin MS. “[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8521573 Nitric oxide. An important signaling mechanism between vascular endothelium and parenchymal cells in the regulation of oxygen consumption].”  ''Circulation''. 1995 Dec 15;92(12):3505-12.</ref><ref name="rf17701">[Xie YW, Shen W, Zhao G, Xu X, Wolin MS, Hintze TH. Role of endothelium-derived nitric oxide in the modulation of canine myocardial mitochondrial respiration in vitro: implications for the development of heart failure. Circ Res. 1996;79(3):381–387.</ref><ref name="rf17702">Shen W, Xu X, Ochoa M, Zhao G, Wolin MS, Hintze TH.  “[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7525103 Role of nitric oxide in the regulation of oxygen consumption in conscious dogs].” ''Circ Res''. 1994 Dec;75(6):1086-95.</ref>

#* Levels of thyroid hormone also rise in this situation.  This may serve to initiate the production of uncoupling proteins.  Thyroid hormone is "the most significant regulator of basal metabolic rate"<ref name="rf17703">Gavrilova O et al.  [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/96/25/14623 "Torpor in mice is induced by both leptin-dependent and -independent mechanisms"].  ''Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.'' 1999 Dec 7;96(25):14623-8.</ref> representing about one-half of the BMR.<ref name="rf17704"> Laura Batmanian, Ward Worral Batmanian, Simon Worrall, Justin Ridge (2009), [http://books.google.com/books?id=IihR3DkZ_fkC&pg=PA182&dq=thyroid+hormone+50%25+metabolic+rate&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Q-PuUNWUHYHK9gSAjoHoAw&ved=0CEoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=thyroid%20hormone%2050%25%20metabolic%20rate&f=false Biochemistry for Health Professionals], Elsevier Australia, pg. 182, ISBN 9780729538749.  "The total deficiency of thyroid hormones can reduce basal metabolic rate up to 50%, while excessive production of thyroid hormones can cause the basal metabolic rate to increase by 100%."</ref>

#Lie still.  Everything that you do burns calories. Even small things like picking up sticks or skipping rocks.  After you have been exercising for a while, your metabolism remains elevated for a period of time, even when you are resting.<ref name="rf17705">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/health/nutrition/19best.html?_r=0</ref><ref name="rf17706">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21311363</ref>  Every mile that you walk burns 100 calories, and that does not account for the increase in metabolism produced by exercise.  Try to sleep if possible.

#Do not drink cold water or eat snow.  Your body will expend energy to warm up the water.<ref name="rf17707">http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41721690/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/#.UTFW-esjoVk</ref> This is energy that you could be saving for a more life-critical task, such as hunting for food for surveying for escape routes.

*Keep in mind that a comfortable temperature (not too cold or too hot) is best for conserving energy.  Research shows, specifically, that the body uses energy most efficiently at 24-27°C (75.2-80.6°F).  A range of 20-22°C (68-71.6°F), while within the range of room temperature, causes the body to produce additional body heat.  Just this slight difference has been shown to increase metabolism 2-5%.  A range of 28-30°C (82.4-86°F) increases metabolism the same amount and actually causes heat-induced thermogenesis.<ref name="rf17708">Maurice Edward Shils and Moshe Shike, [http://books.google.com/books?id=S5oCjZZZ1ggC&pg=PA143&dq=sympathetic+nervous+system+obligatory+thermogenesis&hl=en&ei=vE5xTcv5Kcm1tgeokaDtDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=sympathetic%20nervous%20system%20obligatory%20thermogenesis&f=false Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease], pg. 143.  "Cold- and heat-induced thermogenesis refers to the increase in EE [energy expenditure] that is induced at ambient temperatures below or above the zone of thermoneutrality.  Studies consistently suggest that low-normal temperatures of 20 to 22°C and high temperatures of 28 to 30°C are associated with an increase in sedentary EE of 2 to 5% compared with temperatures of 24 to 27°C."</ref>  The body does not make less heat in hot weather (body heat production is regulated by thyroid hormone, which is produced by the body at a constant rate) but actually makes more, due to energy-consuming processes such as perspiration.  Your body cannot reduce '''obligatory thermogenesis''' to make you feel cooler or to conserve energy.

* If you have hyperthyroidism, consider taking potassium iodide (120-300 mg iodine/day).<ref name="rf17709">Calvin Ezrin, John O. Godden, Robert Volpé, [http://books.google.com/books?id=FCZOAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Up+to+the+recent+past+large+doses+of+iodine%22&dq=%22Up+to+the+recent+past+large+doses+of+iodine%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=h-vRUIKvMpKe8gS2hoCoAQ&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA Systematic endocrinology], pg. 112, 1979.</ref>  Before the development of the antithyroid drugs in the 1940’s, potassium iodide was the only chemical compound known to treat hyperthyroidism.<ref name="goodman&gilman">Louis Sanford Goodman, Alfred Goodman Gilman (1996), [http://books.google.com/books?id=09h_hZiYXgUC&q=%22the+basal+metabolic+rate+may+fall+at+a+rate+comparable%22&dq=%22the+basal+metabolic+rate+may+fall+at+a+rate+comparable%22 Goodman and Gilman's the pharmacological basis of therapeutics] (9th ed.), McGraw-Hill, pg. 1402, ISBN 978-0-07-026266-9.</ref>  The antithyroid drugs methimazole and propylthiouracil take weeks to lower thyroid hormone levels.  The thyroid gland has a huge supply of hormone already formed that it can secrete into the bloodstream, even if the production of new thyroid hormone is suppressed.  Methimazole and propylthiouracil reduce the production of thyroid hormone, but they do not block the release of preformed hormone.  Potassium iodide, by contrast, blocks both the production of new thyroid hormone and the release of preformed hormone.  It can produce a decrease in metabolic rate comparable to that seen in thyroidectomy within 24 hours.<ref name="goodman&gilman" />  The ability of potassium iodide to quickly block the uptake and organification of iodide in the thyroid gland (the first step in thyroid hormone production) is the reason potassium iodide is used in nuclear emergencies to protect the thyroid gland from iodine 131, a radioactive form of iodine that causes cancer.

*You can tweak your metabolism up or down, but only within limits. There is no doubt, for example, that sleeping decreases metabolism, but this decrease may be smaller than some people think: sleep lowers metabolism 5-10% compared to wakeful restfulness.<ref name="rf17710">Food and Nutrition Board, [[wikipedia:Institute_of_Medicine|Institute of Medicine]],  [http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=118 Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients)], pg 118.</ref>  Genes play a role, too, but this role has been overstated.  On the other hand, body composition can be a significant factor.  People who are tall and thin lose heat more easily than people who are stockier.  People with greater muscle mass are stronger and healthier but also need more food.  This is why men tend to need more Calories than women.  Age is another factor beyond our control; metabolism decreases throughout our lifetimes, about 2% each decade.  Older people have slightly lower calorie needs.  There are some factors controlling metabolism (such as ion pumps, e.g., the sodium-potassium pump) that researchers do not know as much about are still investigating.  Illness and menstruation are among the factors that we cannot change and that can increase metabolism and energy needs.