What is metabolic age and what does it mean for your health?

Metabolic age (also known as BMR) is the basal metabolic rate or the number of calories the body burns when you are at rest. So it doesn't include the calories you burn when you don't need to do a lot of activity, like lifting a finger.

1. What is metabolic age? When you eat a potato, you're still burning calories through activities like breathing, digestion, and blood circulation.
BMR does not include the calories your body burns when you are physically active. This is important because about 60-70% of the calories you burn each day happen when you do nothing.
To calculate your BMR, you need to determine your height, weight and age. You can use the following Harris - Benedict equation formula:
For men: 66.5 + (13.75 x kg) + (5,003 x cm) - (6,775 x age) For women: 655, 1 + (9.563 x kg) + (1,850 x cm) - (4,676 x age) BMR is sometimes called the resting metabolic rate (RMR).
One assessment shows that RMR is not valid for all people. Body proportions and body characteristics can make this estimate different.
Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) represents the actual calories burned at rest. To calculate REE you need to fast and Getting to your REE requires fasting and measurement by indirect calorimetry. In this test, you have to lie down under a transparent dome. As you relax, a technician will keep track of how much energy you expend while you rest.

Although BMR and REE are calculated differently, the difference between the two is less than 10%, so the terms can be used interchangeably.
2. The Health Implications of Metabolic Age A sports medicine expert and orthopedic surgeon at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles says: “Metabolic age is a term the industry uses. exercise has used in recent years”.
BMR is just a measurement of a person's overall health and fitness. You can't use BMR as a single measure of your health, but it can help you get a better sense of your health.
Like body mass index (BMI), BMR also has many controversial issues. This measurement is not always accurate. For example, a bodybuilder with a lot of lean muscle may have a similar estimated BMR or BMI as an average person.
Currently, there are not many peer-reviewed studies on metabolic age.
BMR helps you have a better insight into your health status compared to people of the same age.

3. How is metabolic age different from chronological age? Chronological age, to put it simply, is how many years you've lived. Metabolic age is your BMR relative to others in your age group.
So if your metabolic age exceeds your chronological age, you will be like most people in your age group, you need to review your eating and exercise habits.
If your metabolic age is lower than chronological age, this is a good sign.

4. Calculating your metabolic age You can estimate your BMR, but calculating your metabolic age is really complicated. In a recent study, metabolic age was assessed after fasting and included the following:
Body composition Waist circumference Resting blood pressure Researchers used special software for 5-day dietary analysis. The calculation for the relative metabolic age is to subtract the chronological age from the metabolic age.
To get the relative metabolic age, you need data on other people your age. If you're interested in determining your metabolic age, you should talk to your doctor, dietitian, or exercise professional.
5. How to improve metabolic age Higher BMR means faster metabolism, you need to burn more calories. A lower BMR means your metabolism is slower. To increase BMR, you need to have a healthy lifestyle, exercise regularly and have a reasonable diet.
5.1 Diet and exercise The best way to stay healthy is to exercise and eat right. You should limit eating excess calories that your body needs and make it a consistent habit.
If you cut calories, even if you don't increase your exercise, you will start to lose weight. But when you cut calories too much, your body will start to slow down your metabolism. If you continuously cut calories, the burning of calories will take place more and more slowly, and if you switch to a normal diet, your body will try to maximize those calories and you will quickly gain weight. weight back.
If you don't regulate calories but increase exercise, you can lose weight but this process takes quite a long time.

By moderate calorie reduction and increased exercise, you will avoid metabolism and help the weight loss process go on. Regular exercise will not only help you burn calories, but it will also help improve your BMR, as your body can burn more calories during exercise as well as at rest.
By cutting calories and increasing exercise, you can avoid a metabolic slowdown that keeps you from losing weight. Regular exercise not only helps you burn calories in the moment - it also improves your BMR, so you burn more calories while you're not exercising.
You can try HIIT exercises, this will help you burn calories effectively.
Research shows that HIIT can help improve metabolic rate even after a workout, but with less training time. If you haven't exercised in a while or have health problems, it's a good idea to have a general check-up before you start.
5.2 Good sleep also helps with metabolic age Although diet and Exercise is key, but a good night's sleep is also irreplaceable. Research shows that sleep plays an important role in energy metabolism and that not getting enough sleep can lead to weight gain.
Metabolic age is a term used more in exercise than in the medical field. It's a way to compare your basal metabolic rate (BMR) with others your age. It can provide a general idea of ​​your metabolism so you can take steps to manage your weight and improve your health.

The best way to lose fat and gain lean muscle mass is to cut calories while increasing your workout. If you are concerned about your BMR or your weight, you should consult a dietitian.
Coming to Vinmec International General Hospital, you will be accurately assessed your body's indicators by periodic health checks, in addition, regular health checks also help you detect diseases early, save money and save money. Save money, save time, and at the same time, the ability to heal is high. In addition, Vinmec International General Hospital also deploys a variety of general health check-up packages, suitable for the choice of many subjects, including:
Children's general health check-up package Health check-up package General health Standard General health checkup package Comprehensive General health checkup package Special VIP general health checkup package Diamond general health checkup package Customers can directly go to Vinmec Health system worldwide to visit or contact the hotline here for support.
Articles refer to the source: healthline.com