They talk and write about metabolism a lot and with taste. Every site dedicated to fitness has an article about metabolism. But the vast majority of articles are overloaded with scientific terms and written in such a language that it is difficult to comprehend the information to the common man very difficult. Therefore, today we will talk about what metabolism is, but only in simple language.

Before addressing poor metabolism, we first need to clarify what metabolism means. Metabolism is a term that describes processes in the body. It provides absorption, conversion and transport of various substances that are absorbed, and also serves for purification. Accordingly, this is the upper concept of the processes of individual cells in the human body. Metabolism is also called metabolism in this context.

If various nutrients are not used correctly, they often indicate poor metabolism. Poor metabolism can be equated to one thing and have various causes as a basis. In case of poor metabolism, the use of separate nutrients is no longer correct. This can be expressed different ways. The most common symptoms of poor metabolism are.

Synonymous with metabolism is the concept metabolism. These are processes occurring in the body of any living creature on our planet. Man is no exception. They ensure the functioning of the body.

Most of the substances needed for metabolic processes, we get it through food, drink and breathing. This:

  • Nutrients.
  • Oxygen.
  • Water.
  • Minerals.
  • Vitamins.

All listed elements arrive in basic form, which is not absorbed by the body. Therefore, the body launches a series of processes that break down the basic elements into simpler particles that are easily absorbed. New components go to the most important needs of the body: tissue regeneration, ensuring the normal functioning of organs, etc.

Brittle nails and hair Disorders digestive system Loss of appetite Concentration problems Weight loss problems Frequent freezing. Symptoms may vary from person to person as each person also has a different metabolism.

Poor metabolism can also be trained through your own diet. As soon as you reduce your food intake, the body thinks it is eating emergencies, when metabolism must be reduced to provide long-lasting energy. Thus, the metabolism slows down and the possible weight loss effect is not enough. As a result of slow metabolism, energy consumption also decreases, so the body consumes.

There is a misconception that metabolism manifests itself only when a person receives physical activity. In fact, the metabolic processes in our bodies do not stop even for a second, because for normal functioning we constantly need new elements.

Metabolism consists of two main processes:

Protein metabolism

Without proteins, our body is unable to function normally. At the same time, he needs different types proteins: plant and animal. All amounts of protein received by a person from the outside are first broken down into amino acids and then synthesized into new compounds. In this case, the balance is maintained at 1:1. That is, all the resulting protein goes to work.

Poor metabolism can have other causes besides diet. Thus, there may also be an under or over thyroid gland, which affects the metabolism. The same goes for hormones or taking pills. They can affect metabolism and cause disorders. Food intolerances can be an additional trigger for poor metabolism.

Weak metabolism - food intolerance

There are often also incompatibilities in foods such as mutuals such as nuts, gluten, eggs or grains. This applies to about 10% of people. Result: feeling of swelling, increase in water weight. In the human body, metabolic pathways proceed through a complex network of enzymatic reactions, each of which produces specific products. At first, however, metabolism can be divided into two broad areas. There are constructive ways and ways of dismantling. This means that anabolism catalyzes endogenous reactions that lead to more complex metabolic products, whereas catabolism exergonizes and produces simpler, smaller products.

Carbohydrate metabolism

Carbohydrates provide our bodies with the most energy. It is customary to divide them into simple and complex.

The first include cereals, cereals, Rye bread, vegetables and fruits. From these products, a person receives healthy carbohydrates, which are absorbed slowly, and therefore provide the necessary energy boost for a long time.

It should be noted here that many catabolic reactions operate on an intermediate. This may lead to a single metabolic pathway. In this way, it is possible to reduce the genetic coding of metabolic pathways, as well as create a unified regulatory mechanism. These few metabolic intermediates then serve to create many anabolic products.

In general, there are four main metabolic characteristics that should be preserved. The excavator pathways are so externalized that the body cannot apply this energy to a possible return with the same reaction mechanism. Once this initial step is completed, further steps usually follow the reaction's equilibrium. Metabolic pathways are usually regulated in the first reaction. Thus, if the path goes through a large number of reactions, it can be assumed that the step-by-step mechanism acts on one of the first reactions. Metabolic sites are established in the eukaryotic body. This means that there are certain places where certain reactions occur. Elsewhere, the products of these reactions are often required. For this reason, nature's transportation is designed to transport metabolites from one place to another.

  • Metabolic pathways are irreversible.
  • For this reason, only other mechanisms exist as a reaction.
  • Each metabolic chain has a first, defining step.
Since complete knowledge of all metabolic processes of a cell is too much for preparation for preclinical biochemistry, important processes can be reduced as follows.

The latter include sugar, baked goods made from refined flour, and carbonated drinks. They provide fast carbohydrates, and in excess quantities. As we said above, the body immediately stores excess energy into fat. Fast carbohydrates are useful for the body only in one case -. Therefore, weightlifters allow themselves to drink carbohydrate cocktails during the training process.

As the previous figure showed, the most important catabolic metabolic pathways end in oxidative phosphorylation. The first residue is linked to the nucleotide by a phosphoester bond, and the second by a phosphoanhydride bond. These responses are of paramount importance for the body, as sufficient energy is released. Reaction procedure in general case has a formula. In order to be capable of endergonic processes.

The utility of such phosphoryl group transfers is to provide the molecule with a large amount of free enthalpy for further reactions, while these groups are relatively resistant to hydrolysis. Bonds whose hydrolytic cleavage is highly extergonic do not mix with the so-called snake-line binding energy. Eg. . Impure phosphorus anhydrides.

Fat metabolism

When animal and vegetable fats enter the body, the body first decomposes them into glycerol, and then, with the help of fatty acids, converts them back into fat, which accumulates in fatty tissue. Fat is very important for the body because it is a storehouse of energy that the body strives to store at any opportunity. However, with excess fat deposits, fat begins to harm health person. In particular, internal visceral fat reserves, when they are in excess, put pressure on internal organs, interfering with their normal operation. By the way, visceral deposits are found even in thin people, which is a sign of a fat metabolism disorder.

Physiological significance of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism

  • Chain chain phosphorylation.
  • In the early stages of nutrient degradation.
  • Muscle contraction, ion pumps.
The general context is shown here in the graph. The most obvious is much higher efficiency. However, anaerobic metabolism also has important benefits. Its short decomposition mechanisms and the fact that it operates without oxygen is important in tissues that must respond spontaneously to changes in consumption. Unfortunately, there is also a serious problem. But this leads to an influx of fluid.

Water and salt exchanges

Water is the most important component of the human body. It accounts for more than 70% of body weight in the human body. Water is found in every human tissue. It is needed for the normal course of biochemical processes in the body.

Majority modern people They experience a constant lack of water, but do not even suspect it. They attribute headaches, poor performance, and irritability to stress, although in reality it is manifestation of water deficiency. The norm of water consumption for the average person is 3 liters. This includes moisture contained in food.

The cell penetrates and its membrane becomes permeable. Many articles have already been written about “healthy eating,” especially in relation to many “diet tips.” Weight loss madness, one thing is certainly undeniable: in many ways, it is healthier and better if you carry less "on the ribs" with you. Obesity should be avoided or fought in any case.

The metabolism of pushen diets or even fasting is often incorrect, quickly leads to disappointment and ends mainly with the dreaded “Jojo effect”. But what's wrong with many diets? The central core is the body's metabolism. Metabolism is reduced by reduced food intake and, in particular, by an exaggerated “fat avoidance strategy.” The whole body is regulated by “energy saving”, it burns less, the main turnover goes to the basement. There are cases when the latter fluctuated around 850 kcal.

The share of mineral salts in the human body is also significant - 4.5% of the total mass. Salts are catalysts for various metabolic processes, are used to build body tissue, and serve as conductors of impulses between cells. Without them, the production of a number of important hormones is impossible.

A lack of salts can provoke serious problems with health.

In such a metabolic situation, small amounts of e.g. Metabolism for breakfast according to the fat burning program. The trick to successful weight loss and, of course, maintaining your desired body weight: consciously pump up your metabolism! And this should start as soon as possible at breakfast: a fatty breakfast, such quiet warm toast on which butter scrambled eggs, or also scrambled eggs with bacon, act as a “wake-up call” for metabolism, this is from a recent study from the University of Alabama. Breakfast is the time when our body needs to be “programmed” correctly for the rest of the day.

Vitamins

Unlike other elements that enter the body from the outside, vitamins are not broken down. It is a ready-made material that the body uses to build cells. That is why the lack of vitamins is very acute, because without them, some body functions simply stop working.

The daily requirement of vitamins is relatively small and can easily be covered with regular meals. However, it is sufficient, but monotonous diet can cause vitamin deficiency. This means that a person should diversify his diet as much as possible.

A fairly carbohydrate-rich breakfast, rolls, crispbread with jam make it difficult for the body to burn fat throughout the day. Sufficient food. Avoid selecting body fat. If we make sure that we take in at least one calorie per kilogram of weight and body hour, then we can be sure that the body will not change into fat mode after 5 days. This value roughly corresponds to the so-called basic conversion and covers 60 to 70 percent of the total caloric needs of the day. If we stay under it, our body will reduce fat burning!

Drinking a lot Another one important aspect healthy eating as well as weight loss is fluid intake: we must take at least 1.5 - 2 liters of water per day. Since metabolic degradation products must be eliminated from the body, they accumulate, especially during the night, in cells. All cellular metabolism occurs in a "water solution", and for optimal energy burning a lot of oxygen is required, which in turn must be transported to the most distant cellular spaces using the thinnest possible blood.

When creating diets and training programs, experts often use the term basal metabolism. It is also often called the main one. It is an indicator of the energy that the body needs for normal functioning during the day at complete rest. That is, basic metabolism shows how much energy a person will spend per day just lying on the bed.

In addition, an interesting by-effect: Since cold water must be brought up to body temperature after drinking, it even consumes calories: Berlin researcher Harith determined that after drinking only about 1.5 liters cold water, Calorie intake increased by approximately 100 kilocalories.

Protein-rich meals support “calorie breakdown.” The individual food components of carbohydrates, proteins and fats must be prepared in the stomach and intestines for further “metabolism”. To do this, the body requires a surprisingly different amount of energy: the vigorous effort associated with the use of proteins is especially great: literally 25% of the calories containing proteins go into their preparation! For fats it is only about 5%, and for carbohydrates it is up to 10%.

Very often people in their desire to lose weight rations are being cut so that caloric intake falls below the level of basal metabolic rate. Accordingly, the main organs cease to receive the necessary energy for normal functioning. This has a detrimental effect on health. Therefore, without preliminary calculations that take into account: weight, basal metabolic rates, activity level, no diets can be drawn up.

Sitting turns fat burning almost, so: a lot of movement. Many people practice primarily sedentary activities. However, we should try to move as much as possible while working. For example, get out of the elevator and quickly take the stairs, do not call colleagues in the next office, but go to the fresh air at noon. Movement gets the blood flowing, more oxygen is transported and therefore the muscle cells are also better oxidized which causes fat burning because fats are mainly burned in the mitochondria of the muscle cells.

Metabolism can be slow or accelerated. In the first case, the body spends less energy than it receives. Because of this, a set of adipose tissue occurs. In the second case, the body spends more calories than it takes in. People with accelerated metabolism can eat more food and not gain weight. At the same time, they feel cheerful and happy.

If the oxygen necessary for this is not supplied in sufficient quantities, the fat burning process is quasi-switched off, and this is exactly the same when it is too long. Our body's metabolism is especially round when it also comes with all essential vitamins and minerals. For this reason, a balanced, varied diet is especially important. The Food Pyramid visualizes in a simple and intuitive way what we should eat in quantitative proportions. Some products also contain special active ingredients that can significantly increase metabolic activity: resveratrol, found in grapes, peanuts and berries, even up to 30%!

Metabolic speed depends on several factors:

  • Gender of a person. Men's bodies are more reactive, so their energy expenditure is on average 5% higher than women's. This is explained by large volumes of muscle tissue, which requires more energy. Women have smaller muscle volumes, so energy costs are lower.
  • The age of the person. Starting from the age of thirty, metabolic processes in the body slow down by about 10% per decade. Therefore, the older a person is, the faster he gains excess weight. To combat this weight gain, doctors suggest that older people gradually reduce their caloric intake and increase physical activity.
  • The ratio of fat and muscle volumes. Muscles are the main consumer of energy in the human body. They require energy replenishment even at rest. Much less energy is spent on maintaining fat reserves. For this reason, athletes burn 15% more calories at rest than obese people.
  • Diet. Excessive caloric intake, disruption of daily routine, abundance of fatty foods - all this leads to a slowdown in metabolic processes.

Metabolic disorders

Metabolic problems may be caused by: various diseases, disrupting the normal functioning of the main endocrine glands of the body, as well as hereditary factors. While medicine is quite successful in combating the former, it cannot yet influence the latter.

Please note that metabolic disorders in people most often occur not due to diseases and hereditary disorders, but due to inadequate eating behavior. That is, people simply transmit it, do not follow a diet, abuse fatty foods, go on starvation diets, and eat low-calorie diets. Yes, all crash diets ultimately disrupt metabolism.

Bad habits cause great harm to metabolic processes: smoking and alcohol abuse. The situation gets worse if the owner bad habits In addition, he leads a sedentary lifestyle.

These two concepts are inseparable. Our weight is directly dependent on our metabolic rate. The higher the speed, the more energy the body spends at rest.

Each person has a different basal metabolic rate. For one person, a thousand calories are enough for a normal life, for another, two thousand will not be enough. In this case, a person with a low basal metabolism will be forced to seriously restrict their diet in terms of calories. And the owner of a fast metabolism does not need to engage in dietary restrictions. He still won't get better.

It is important to understand that extreme dietary restriction is wrong way to slim figure . It would be better to speed up metabolic processes.

Speeding up metabolism

To normalize and accelerate metabolic processes, you need to get rid of the factors that slow them down: physical inactivity, poor nutrition, insufficient fluid intake, lack of sleep, stress. Once you achieve this, your metabolism will begin to speed up, causing your weight to normalize and making you healthier.

January 20, 2011, 08:01

The word “metabolism” is used in speech by nutritionists and athletes, fitness instructors and those who are always losing weight.

Most often the term is used in the meaning of “metabolism”. But not everyone knows what it really is. Let's try to figure it out.

What it is?

Metabolism- these are the processes that take place in any living organism to maintain its life. Metabolism allows the body to grow, reproduce, heal damage, and respond to the environment.

This really requires constant metabolism. Processes can be divided into two threads. One is destructive - catabolism, the other is creative - anabolism.

Disassembly at the molecular level...

Any nutrient that enters the body cannot immediately be used for its needs. For example, squirrels from nuts, milk and human muscles - completely different, and cannot replace each other.

However, they consist of the same “bricks” - amino acids. Although each of the proteins has a different set and ratio.

To obtain building material for, for example, biceps, special enzymes disassemble those contained in milk or cutlet protein into individual amino acids, which are already going into action.

At the same time, energy is released, measured in calories. The parsing process is catabolism. Another example of catabolism is the breakdown of regular refined sugar into fructose and glucose.

... and assembly shop

It is not enough for the body to disassemble proteins from what it eats into amino acids. Of these it is necessary collect new proteins for the same biceps muscle.

Building complex molecules from smaller components requires energy. It uses the same calories that the body received during the “disassembly”. This process is called anabolism.

A couple more clear examples of the work of the body’s “assembly shop” are the growth of nails and the healing of cracks in bones.

Where does fat come from?

If the process of breaking down nutrients produces more energy than is required for the construction of new body cells, obvious excess, which needs to go somewhere.

When the body is at rest, metabolism occurs in the “background” mode and does not require active breakdown and synthesis of substances. But as soon as the body begins to move, all processes accelerate and intensify. The need for energy and nutrients also increases.

But even a mobile organism can remain excess calories, if too much of them comes from food.

A small part of the received and unspent energy is stored in the form of carbohydrates glycogen– a source of energy for active muscle work. It is stored in the muscles and liver themselves.

The rest accumulates in fat cells. Moreover, their formation and life require much less energy than building muscles or bones.

How is metabolism related to body weight?

We can say that body weight is catabolism minus anabolism. In other words, the difference between the amount of energy entering the body and the amount used by it.

So, one gram of fat eaten gives 9 kcal, and the same amount of protein or carbohydrate gives 4 kcal. The body will store the same 9 kcal into 1 gram of fat in its body if it fails to spend it.

Simple example: eat a sandwich and lie down on the sofa. From bread and sausage, the body received fats, proteins, carbohydrates and 140 kcal. In this case, the lying body will spend the resulting calories only on breaking down the food eaten and a little on maintaining the functions of breathing and circulation - about 50 kcal per hour. The remaining 90 kcal will turn into 10 g of fat and be deposited in the fat depot.

If a sandwich lover goes for a quiet walk, the body will burn the resulting calories in about an hour.

“Good” and “bad” metabolism?

Many look with envy at the fragile girl who regularly feasts on cakes and does not gain an ounce of weight. It is generally accepted that such lucky people have a good metabolism, while those for whom a piece of sugar in their tea threatens weight gain have a poor metabolism.

In fact, research shows that there is indeed a slow metabolism only for a number of diseases, for example, hypothyroidism - a lack of thyroid hormone. And most overweight people do not have any diseases, but there is an energy imbalance.

That is, much more energy enters the body than is actually needed, and it is stored in reserve.

Calorie consumption items

To keep your calorie expenditure and intake under control, it is worth remembering the main areas of additional energy expenditure.

1. The higher your body weight, the more calories he needs. But, as we know, adipose tissue needs very little energy to live, but muscle tissue consumes enough.

Therefore, a 100 kg bodybuilder will spend more calories doing the same work as a 100 kg peer with undeveloped muscles and a high percentage of body fat.

2. The older a person gets, the higher the difference between energy intake and energy expenditure due to hormonal imbalance and sharp decline physical activity.

3. In metabolism male body The hormone testosterone is actively involved. This is a true natural anabolic that forces the body to spend energy and resources on growing additional muscles. That is why muscle mass men are usually much higher than women.

And since maintaining muscle function requires much more energy than storing fat, a man and a woman of the same height and weight spend unequal amounts of calories on the same activities.

Simply put: men spend more energy, they need more food, and if they want, they lose weight much faster.

What you need to know about metabolism

The entire life of an organism is a balance between the breakdown of nutrients and the production of energy from them and energy expenditure in the creation of new molecules and cells.

If too much energy is supplied, it is stored in reserve in the form of adipose tissue. You can increase energy expenditure by moving a lot or growing a sufficient amount of muscle mass.