Weight Gain is Due to Declining Metabolism, Right? Maybe Not.

New study finds that previously held notions of metabolism and weight gain in adults may be incorrect

Weight gain in adults seems inevitable. As people near the age of 40, it seems more and more difficult to keep off the pounds. There has been a long held belief that human’s metabolism slows down throughout adulthood, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a lean physique. This now appears to be wrong.

New research from the journal Science throws out old notions, and indicates that metabolism stays stable throughout most of their adult life.

Understanding Metabolism

The purpose of every calorie that we consume in our day is to generate energy. The energy generated from food is used to fuel physiologic processes that keep us alive. The beating of our heart, the constant release of hormones that keep our body in homeostasis and the contraction of muscles that propel us through the world all rely on the molecular energy currency that is generated through food.

The main form of energy currency in the body is a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This molecule contains three high energy phosphate bonds bound in a chain. When needed, enzymes in…