Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a common goal for many, yet the role of your metabolic health is often overlooked.
Metabolism is not just about burning calories; it's a complex system that significantly influences weight management. Understanding the intricate link between metabolic health and weight can unlock new strategies for effective weight management and overall wellness.
Metabolism is also increasingly linked to sleep, exercise and stress, which means promoting good metabolic health can help you hit your weight loss and fitness goals.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the functioning of the body’s metabolic processes. A major focus is the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels so you avoid a nose-dive in energy levels post-meal.
But it's also the metabolism that converts calories from food into energy and influences the body’s ability to store and break down fat.
This article delves into the vital aspects of metabolic health, offering insights into how it impacts weight, and shares expert tips to enhance your metabolic function. Whether you're looking to shed a few kilos or simply optimise your health, gaining a better understanding of your metabolism is a crucial step in achieving your goals.
What is metabolic health?
Metabolic health refers to the physiological processes the body undergoes to function optimally.
As chemical reactions occur in the body to convert food into energy, your metabolic health is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels, managing insulin sensitivity, and maintaining a healthy balance of various hormones that regulate metabolism, fat storage, and cholesterol levels.
Your metabolism is responsible for the breakdown of nutrients consumed into energy and this important process impacts your weight and overall health.
While several factors contribute to your metabolic health, largely it's the absence of metabolic syndrome that indicates that you are metabolically healthy. What does this mean, exactly?
Well, it means you don't have conditions like high blood pressure, high blood sugar or excess body fat around the waist.
What is good metabolic health?
Achieving good metabolic health goes beyond maintaining a healthy weight — it also positively influences your overall health and well-being and allows your body to digest and absorb important nutrients from food without spikes in blood sugar, insulin or blood fat.
Plus, good metabolic health has been found to offer a stack of benefits including:
- Sustained energy: Without dips in your blood sugar, you'll have stable energy throughout the day [1].
- Quality sleep: Studies have shown that improved glucose management can correlate to better quality sleep [2].
- Weight management: More stable blood sugar levels and good metabolic health have been shown to aid weight loss as your body is better able to burn stored fat. When your blood sugar is regulated, and you have a healthy diet, you’ll find that you also feel satiated for longer, keeping cravings at bay. No slow metabolism symptoms here.
What are the signs of metabolic health?
Experts have identified 5 key markers of metabolic health that can be examined to understand how well your body is functioning and what could be improved. This is what to look for:
Waist circumference
According to studies, waist circumference has a strong correlation with health risk indicators, followed by body mass index (BMI) [3].
While your doctor will also take into account your percentage of body fat and fat distribution, health risks can also be assessed by waist circumference measurements.
Blood pressure
High blood pressure is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Regular blood pressure checks are conducted to assess cardiovascular health.
Glucose
Metabolic health refers to the body’s ability to generate and process energy, so glucose is a primary measurement to determine whether one has good or poor metabolic health.
For metabolism to work effectively, you want to maintain stable blood sugar and ensure you get enough exercise.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are an important marker of metabolic health, as they account for about 95% of all dietary fats.
For those who are overweight or obese from eating more calories than they burn during exercise, triglyceride levels circulating in the blood will be significantly higher, contributing to metabolic syndrome.
HDL Cholesterol
High-density lipoproteins are known as “good” cholesterol. They are thought to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease because they have antioxidant properties in the vasculature and can improve glucose metabolism in the skeletal muscle.
While these markers are checked in a metabolic health assessment, they can identify metabolic syndrome. According to the National Institute of Health, the condition is defined as having 3 or more of the following traits:
- Blood pressure: Increased blood pressure of 130/85 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) or higher.
- Waist circumference: A waistline that measures at least 35 inches (89 centimetres) for women and 40 inches (102 centimetres) for men.
- Glucose: An elevated fasting blood sugar of 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) or higher.
- Triglycerides: A high triglyceride level of 150 milligrams per deciliter, or 1.7 millimoles per litre, or higher of this type of fat found in the blood.
- HDL Cholesterol: Reduced HDL cholesterol with less than 40 milligrams per deciliter in men or less than 50 mg/dL in women.
How does blood sugar reflect metabolic health?
As mentioned above, there are a range of factors to consider when it comes to metabolic health but blood sugar has a profound impact. Controlled blood sugar levels tend to reflect good metabolic health and reduced risk of health problems, while also supporting healthy weight and blood pressure.
Elevated blood glucose is a key marker of metabolic syndrome. While eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing alcohol consumption can also assist in healthy blood glucose levels, certain conditions can affect your blood glucose.
Insulin resistance is a condition that affects blood sugar levels as the body is unable to respond as it should to insulin. Insulin resistance disrupts metabolism as the glucose stays in your bloodstream instead of entering cells, where it’s then used for energy. As a result of these increased insulin levels, you’re more likely to store fat and gain weight.
How to improve your metabolic health
The good news is you can improve metabolic health by implementing certain changes in your life. Here are a few ways to positively impact your metabolic health.
Exercise regularly
Exercise is integral for a healthy lifestyle and ideally should include both aerobic exercises and strength training.
While exercise helps you burn calories to support weight loss and management, it can also help you maintain lean muscle mass, which is important for burning calories at rest.
Food choices are important
To ensure your metabolic health, you should eat nutrient-dense foods like fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains. Avoid restrictive diets that can impact your metabolism function.
Prioritise sleep
Aim for 7-9 hours of good sleep every night as this helps regulate appetite hormones and influence your metabolic health.
Reduce alcohol consumption
Excessive alcohol consumption can impact your metabolic processes and in turn, contribute to weight gain as alcohol contains empty calories that contribute to your overall daily calorie intake.
While it’s important to stay hydrated particularly when exercising, the best way to support digestion, metabolism, and overall health is by drinking plenty of water.
Eat regular meals
Engaging in crash diets and skipping meals can negatively impact your metabolism and in some cases, could contribute to irregular blood sugar levels. Going long periods without eating can also lead to eating large amounts of food in one sitting, which could also cause blood sugar disruptions.
Your best option is to eat balanced meals regularly throughout the day to maintain energy levels and support metabolism.
Now that you know the importance of metabolic health, you’re probably wondering how best to improve yours or where you can access support on your health journey.
If you feel like you need a little more guidance when it comes to your metabolic health and weight, Pilot's Weight Reset Program helps you tackle excess weight from the inside out to set you up for success.
Our program combines science-backed solutions with support from our medical team and health coaches, while also connecting you with a supportive community of like-minded men to help keep you motivated and accountable to your weight loss goals.
Over 14% body weight is lost on average by people using one option Pilot can recommend. Learn to control hunger and cravings, target appetite and eat less and retain your metabolism. With medical professionals at your fingertips, the program can help to rewire your relationship with food so you can achieve sustainable weight loss.
Photo credit: Pexels x Anete Lusina
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