“My metabolism is very slow, that is why I put on weight easily“, said a friend of mine. I could not help laughing at her.
I keep hearing the same thing from my patients as well. Let me help you understand the jargon about fast or slow metabolism.
The truth is that there is no slow or fast metabolism, there is only good or bad metabolism. Your metabolism is the key to your health!
Take any medical disorder, the basic problem is a disturbance in the metabolism, what is termed as ‘metabolic dysfunction’.
How do you find out if you have a good or bad metabolism?
Before we delve deeper into the metabolism, here are a few measurements that we need to take.
- Height
Measure your height with a marker placed on top of your head with the lower jawline parallel to the floor.
- Weight
Measure your weight on a weighing scale first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, after emptying your bowels and bladder.
- Waist Circumference
Measure your waist at the mid-point of your highest point of the hip bone and the lower border of the lowest rib. This is generally at the level of your navel.
- Hip Circumference
Measure your hip circumference at the widest point of the hips.
- Body Composition
If you have a body composition scale, all you need to do is to install the app and step on the scale. It gives you all the measurements.
Now that we know how to take the measurements, let’s get to the specifics of metabolic health and fitness.
There are a few derived indices that give you an overview of your metabolic health. Let’s look at them one by one.
1. Ideal Body Weight
Your weight is a direct indicator of your metabolic health. If you are struggling to maintain your weight, then you are dealing with a metabolic disorder.
What is your Ideal Body Weight?
Ideal Body Weight (IBW) is calculated as below:
IBW for Male = Height (cm) – 100
IBW for Female = Height (cm) – 105
If your Current Weight is MORE than your Ideal Body Weight, then you have a Bad Metabolism.
2. Body Mass Index
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is yet another index that tells you about your ideal weight for height.
How to calculate your Body Mass Index?
BMI is calculated with the following formula:
BMI = Weight (kg)/[Height (m) x Height (m)]
If your BMI is between 18.5 to 23 (25 for the Non-Asian population), then your weight for height is normal. If your BMI is more than 25, this means you are overweight and have a Bad Metabolism.
3. Waist-to-Height Ratio
The Waist-to-Height Ratio is an indicator of Central Obesity, which in turn is due to Insulin Resistance.
How to calculate your Waist-to-Height Ratio?
Waist-to-Height Ratio is calculated as follows:
Waist-to-Height Ratio = Waist (cm) / Height (cm)
Your waist should be less than or equal to 50% of your height. For example, if your height is 180 cm, then your waist circumference should be ideally less than 90 cm. If it is more, then you have a bad metabolism.
There are two types of fat distribution:
Android (Apple) – Android variety of fat distribution is mostly in men where the fat accumulation is around the abdomen area. People with android variety of fat distribution have an increased risk of developing metabolic disorders like diabetes, heart disease, etc
Gynoid (Pear) – Gynoid vairiety of fat distribution is seen in women where the fat is deposited around the buttocks and thigh area. Gynoid fat distribution is associated with a decreased risk of metabolic disorders.
4. Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Waist-to-Hip Ratio is an indicator of fat distribution in the body.
How to calculate your Waist-to-Hip Ratio?
Waist-to-Hip Ratio is calculated as follows:
Waist-to-Hip Ratio = Waist (cm) / Hip (cm)
There are two types of fat distribution:
Android (Apple) – Android variety of fat distribution is mostly in men where the fat accumulation is around the abdomen area. People with android variety of fat distribution have an increased risk of developing metabolic disorders like diabetes, heart disease, etc
Gynoid (Pear) – Gynoid vairiety of fat distribution is seen in women where the fat is deposited around the buttocks and thigh area. Gynoid fat distribution is associated with a decreased risk of metabolic disorders.
5. Body Composition
The body composition tells you about the distribution of different tissues.
Here are other indices that speak about your metabolism.
Fat Percentage
The higher the fat percentage, the worse your metabolism is.
As a simple rule, the fat percentage for men should be <15% and for women <30%. However, there are age and gender-based differences. Refer to the chart below to check if your fat% is healthy, overweight, or obese
Skeletal Muscle percentage
Skeletal Muscles are the seat of metabolism, the more skeletal muscles you have, the healthier you are.
As a general rule, men should have at least 60% of their weight in skeletal muscle and women should have at least 50%.
Visceral Fat Level
Visceral Fat is the dangerous fat that accumulates inside organs like the heart, around the intestines, etc. They produce hormones called adipokines that are responsible for metabolic dysfunction.
The lower your Visceral Fat levels are, the better is your metabolism.
Metabolic Age
If your Metabolic Age is more than your Chronological Age, then your Metabolism is Bad.
6. Clinical Parameters
Blood Pressure
If your Blood Pressure is more than 140 by 90 mm of Hg, then you have High Blood Pressure.
High Blood Pressure is one of the indicators of metabolic dysfunction.
Blood Sugar
If your blood sugar (glucose) is more than 100 mg/dl or your glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is more than 5.4 g%, then you are in a state of Prediabetes, which is a state of metabolic dysfunction.
Blood Lipids
If your Serum Triglycerides are more than 150 mg/dl or your High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol is less than (50 mg/dl for men and 60 mg/dl for women), then it is termed Dyslipidemia, which is a state of metabolic dysfunction.
NOTE:
It’s always best to consider approaching a doctor for detailed clinical parameters.
Reference: @sportsmedicinedoctor or visit @ziathlon.
Conclusion:
Alright. Great!!!
If you have reached till here, we are sure that you are either hungry for knowledge or looking at improving your metabolic health.
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