Issue #214: Your Metabolism Doesn't Just Slow Down
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, July 18th.
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Today’s Quick Win
From the Lab: Your Metabolism Doesn’t Just “Slow Down”
Speed Read: New Cancer Screenings
Tuesday QR: Blue Cheese Burgers
“We are designed to be athletes…natural selection drove early humans to evolve into supremely agile beings - we developed long legs, stubby toes, big brains, and intricate inner ears to help us maintain balance and coordination while walking on just two feet as opposed to four.”
The percent of deaths in the U.S. directly related to poor metabolic health. (CDC, 2019)
From the Lab
The data suggests that there are four different diseases that kill us - heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s Disease. And, our healthcare system is siloed so that we treat each disease one at a time.
But the reality is that all of these diseases are related and they are accelerated by poor metabolic health.
In fact, 8 of the top 10 killers (and you could argue suicide, so 9) are directly or indirectly affected by our metabolism. Even Alzheimer’s is called Type 3 Diabetes.
But this all makes sense - because our metabolism slows down as we get older, right?
Well, turns out that our metabolism actually stays the same between the ages of 20-60.
Wait, what?? Then why does it feel in our 40’s (or even 30’s) that we start to slow down?
First - let’s take a step back to understand metabolic health.
Metabolism & Energy
Our metabolism is the ability for us to take in fuel (food & oxygen) and turn that fuel into energy.
So what does this look like? (Without going back to AP Bio)
Say you eat a sandwich - the carbs (glucose) will go to one of three places:
Muscles - to be used immediately for energy (creating ATP in our mitochondria - ok, just a little biology)
Liver - to be stored for near-term release when needed by muscles or the brain
Fat - to be stored for longer periods until the body needs that fuel in the future
If we keep using up as much energy as we take in, then the glucose keeps going to our cells and everything runs smoothly.
But when we are constantly taking in more energy (food) than we exert (not moving), then there’s a problem. The glucose has no room in the muscles or liver and keeps getting turned into fat to be burned later.
At first, that’s fine. The glucose is stored in subcutaneous fat - the fat right under our skin. This is actually ok.
From an evolutionary standpoint, we’ve needed this storage for the “cold winter” when food was more scare. The body was designed for balancing energy in/energy out with peaks and valleys.
Each of us have a finite storage amount of subcutaneous fat. This is mostly genetic - some people just happen to have the equivalent of say a 10’ × 10’ storage unit that can barely fit the stuff from your apartment when you were 22 and others a 30’ × 30’ space that fits a couple of cars.
But when this storage unit gets filled up, then the glucose needs to go somewhere else - that’s visceral fat. This is the problem. This fat is just around our waist - impacting essential organs like our liver and kidneys.
It’s also why you can be skinny fat (a little pouch in your stomach) or have a massive beer belly without extra weight in your chest or legs.
You don’t necessarily need to be obese to have metabolic problems - it comes down to the amount of visceral fat.
Why does this happen?
Well - there’s no more “cold winter.” We have abundant food all the time. And, most of this food is full of glucose so we’re overloading our energy intake without making up for it with enough movement.
Another problem is fructose. This sweet molecule is now in so much of our food - but it doesn’t convert energy as efficiently. It uses energy to create ATP and our cells think that we’re still hungry - so we eat more and more and more.
This isn’t the fructose from whole fruits (see research from Dr. David Perlmutter) - it’s the juice, soda and anything with high fructose corn syrup disrupts our entire system.
Metabolism and Aging
So let’s go back to that question about a slowing metabolism in our 30’s and 40’s. It happens for two reasons:
We take in more glucose than we use and crush our mitochondria so they become less efficient. In this sense our metabolism does slow down - but due to diet not age.
We are less active. Maybe we got injured and had to take a few weeks off our feet. Maybe we’re sleep deprived from kids or work and skip more workouts than we used to. Whatever the case - the amount of time we aren’t moving is what slows down our metabolism - not simply because we’re getting older.
Boost Your Metabolism
Three quick wins to prevent your metabolism from slowing down as you get older:
Avoid Fructose - it’s great to eat whole fruit, but avoid juices/sodas and anything with high fructose corn syrup.
2 Min Challenge - Get up every hour during the day for at least 2 minutes. Do some quick squats, push-ups, go for a super short walk - just do it every hour of the day (it’s only 2 minutes!)
Manage Stress - Cortisol (see Issue #19) turns subcutaneous fat into visceral fat. Find your preferred method of relaxation (sighing, meditation, writing). If you’re concerned - get your cortisol level tested.
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
AI + Urine = Saving Lives: Prostate and pancreatic cancers accounted for 17.4% (350K) of all new cancer cases in 2022 in the US. Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate likely due to the fact it is diagnosed late. Korean researchers have devised a method to detect both cancers with a urine test. (MedicalNewsToday)
Another Screening: Japanese researchers have been able to identify three key proteins known as extracellular vesicles released from an ovarian cancer tumor. This finding lays the groundwork for a simple blood test to diagnose the cancer. 9 in 10 women survive when diagnosed early, this drops to 1 in 10 if too late. (Good News Network)
Baby Pictures of James Webb Turning 1: In one year, the telescope has been busy - checking out asteroids, quasars, exoplanets and other cosmic phenomena. Prior to the telescope, astronomers knew of only a handful of candidate galaxies that existed in the first billion years after the Big Bang. Now they’ve categorized hundreds of them. Scientists promised baby pictures of our universe and have over-delivered. (NYTimes)
Tuesday QR | Blue Cheese Burgers
Going low-carb? Here’s an idea for your next cookout. Full of flavor without the bun. Enrich the experience by adding extras like lettuce, tomatoes and avocado for a complete and satisfying meal.
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.