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October 31, 2019

10 simple, scientifically proven ways to stimulate the metabolism

10 einfache, wissenschaftlich belegte Wege zur Anregung des Stoffwechsels

The term metabolism is a collective term for all chemical reactions that take place in the body. These chemical reactions keep your body alive and functioning.

However, the term metabolism is also often used as a synonym for metabolic rate, which stands for the number of calories the body burns. The higher the metabolic rate, the more calories you burn and the easier it will be for you to lose weight and maintain a lower weight.

A higher metabolic rate can also give you more energy and make you feel better.

Here are 10 simple ways to increase your metabolic rate.

1. eat plenty of protein with every meal

Eating food can increase your metabolic rate for a few hours. This process is also known as the thermic effect of food (TEF for short) and is caused by the extra calories needed to digest, absorb and process the food you eat.

Protein has the strongest thermic effect. Of the calories supplied in the form of protein, 15 to 30% are consumed again through the thermic effect, whereas this value is only 5 to 10% for carbohydrates and 0 to 3% for fats (1).

It has also been shown that eating protein makes you feel fuller and prevents you from overeating (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). One study found that people ate an average of 441 kcal more per day when protein made up 30% of their diet (9).

Eating more protein can also reduce the reduction in metabolic rate that is often associated with fat loss. This is because protein reduces diet-induced muscle loss, which is a common side effect of dieting (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15).

Summary: Eating more protein can increase your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories. Eating more protein can also help you eat less.

2. drink more cold water

People who drink water instead of sugary soft drinks are more successful when it comes to losing fat and maintaining their new weight (16, 17, 18, 19, 20). This is because sugary drinks contain calories, so giving up these drinks in favor of water automatically reduces calorie intake.

However, drinking water could also temporarily increase your metabolic rate (18, 21). Studies have shown that drinking 500 ml of ice water can increase your resting metabolic rate by 10 to 30% for about an hour (22, 23). This calorie-burning effect is higher when you drink cold water, as your body has to expend energy to warm the water to body temperature (21, 24).

Water can also help with satiety. Studies have shown that drinking water half an hour before eating can help you eat less (25, 26, 27). A study conducted on overweight adults found that subjects who drank half a liter of water before their meals lost 44% more weight than those who did not (19).

Summary: Water can help you lose weight and maintain your new weight. It increases your metabolic rate and supports satiety.

3. perform a high-intensity training session

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves fast and very intense phases of activity. It can help you burn more fat by increasing your metabolic rate beyond the end of your training session (28, 2, 30, 31).

This effect is believed to be stronger with HIIT than with other types of exercise. In addition, HIIT has also been shown to help you burn fat (32, 33, 34). A study conducted with overweight young men found that 12 weeks of high-intensity training reduced fat mass by 2 kilos and abdominal fat by 17% (35).

Summary: Keeping your exercise program varied and adding a few high-intensity workouts can increase your metabolic rate and help you burn more fat.

4. lift heavy things

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat and building muscle can help you increase your metabolic rate (36, 37, 38, 39). This means you will burn more fat even at rest (40).

Training with weights will also help you maintain your existing muscle mass and counteract the drop in metabolic rate that occurs during fat loss (41, 42, 43, 44).

In one study, 48 overweight women were placed on an 800 kcal diet and performed either no exercise, aerobic exercise or exercise with weights (45). During the diet, the women who performed resistance training were able to maintain their muscle mass, metabolic rate and strength. The other women lost weight, but also muscle mass and experienced a drop in metabolic rate.

Summary: Training with weights is important for building and maintaining muscle mass. Larger amounts of muscle will result in a higher metabolic rate.

5. stand up more often

Sitting too much is bad for your health (46). Some health experts even refer to sitting as "the new smoking." This is partly because long periods of sitting burn fewer calories and can lead to weight gain (47). In fact, an afternoon spent standing at work would burn 174 extra calories compared to sitting (48).

If you work at a desk, you can try standing up more often for short periods and reduce the length of time you sit. You can also invest money in a standing desk for work (49, 50, 51, 52).

Summary: Sitting for a long time burns few calories and is bad for your health. Try to stand up regularly or invest in a standing desk.

6. drink green tea or oolong tea

Green tea and oolong tea have been shown to increase metabolic rate by 4 to 5% (53, 54, 55). These teas also help to convert some of the fat stored in your body into fatty acids, which can result in a 10 to 17% increase in fat burning (56). And since these teas are also low in calories, consuming them can be good for weight loss and weight management (57, 58, 59).

It is believed that the metabolic stimulating properties of these teas may help prevent the dreaded weight loss plateaus that occur due to a reduction in metabolic rate. However, some studies have concluded that these teas do not affect the metabolism. Their effect could therefore either be small or only occur in some people (60, 61).

Summary: The consumption of green tea or oolong tea could increase the metabolic rate. These teas may also help you lose weight and keep it off.

7 Eat spicy foods

Hot peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that can boost your metabolism (62, 63, 64). However, many people cannot tolerate these spices in the doses needed to have a significant effect (65).

One study using capsaicin in acceptable doses predicted that eating hot peppers would burn an additional 10 kcal per meal. Over 6.5 years, this could result in 0.5 kilograms of additional weight lost for an average weight male (66).

On its own, the effects of adding spices to the diet may be quite small. However, it could lead to a slight benefit when combined with other strategies to stimulate metabolism (67).

Summary: Eating spicy food may be beneficial for stimulating metabolism and helping to maintain a healthy weight.

8. make sure you get a good night's sleep

A lack of sleep has been linked to a sharp increase in the risk of obesity (68, 69). This may be due in part to the negative effects of sleep deprivation on metabolism (70).

Sleep deprivation has also been linked to increased blood glucose levels and insulin resistance, both of which are associated with a higher risk of developing type II diabetes (70, 71, 72, 73).

It has also been shown that sleep deprivation increases levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and decreases levels of the satiety hormone leptin (74, 75, 76). This may explain why many people who are sleep deprived feel hungry and struggle to lose weight.

Summary: A lack of sleep can reduce the number of calories you burn, change the way you process sugar and mess with your hunger-regulating hormones.

9. drink coffee

Studies have shown that the caffeine in coffee can increase your metabolic rate by 3 to 11%. Like green tea, caffeine also promotes fat burning (77, 78, 79).

However, caffeine seems to have a stronger effect on some people than others. In one study, caffeine increased fat burning by 29% in lean women, but only 10% in obese women (80).

The effects of coffee on metabolism and fat burning may also contribute to successful weight loss and weight maintenance (77, 81). Summary: Consuming coffee can significantly increase your metabolic rate and help you lose weight.

10. replace fats in cooking and frying with coconut oil

Unlike other saturated fats, coconut oil is relatively rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs can increase your metabolic rate more than the long-chain fatty acids found in foods like butter (82, 83, 84, 85, 86).

In one study, scientists found that MCTs increased metabolic rate by 12%, while long-chain fats only increased metabolic rate by 4% (87).

Due to coconut oil's unique fatty acid profile, replacing some of your cooking fats with this unique fat source may have minor fat loss benefits (88, 89).

Summary: Replacing other fats used for cooking may help to slightly increase your metabolic rate.

Conclusion

Making small lifestyle changes and using these tips can increase your metabolic rate. A higher metabolic rate can help you lose weight and maintain your new weight while giving you more energy.

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Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-ways-to-boost-metabolism#section11

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