Basal Metabolic Rate

A person's basal metabolism refers to the number of calories from fat his or her body burns while at rest. The body needs some calories simply to breathe, pump blood, and maintain body's temperature. It represents the minimum number of calories an individual needs to endure in the absence of any activity. Actually, basal metabolic rate represents the quantity of calories needed just to stay in bed as well as sleep all day.

The larger a person's basal metabolic rate, the greater calories that individual uses up off without participating in any physical activity. Basal metabolic rate may vary significantly from one person to another. A person's basal metabolic rate is partially grounded in genetics. Men typically have a higher basal metabolic rate than women, because they tend to naturally have both a greater muscle mass and a reduce percentage of body fat.

Hormone factors can also effect basal metabolic rate. Thyroxin, which is made by the thyroid gland, is an extremely important factor in basal metabolism. If a person does not produce a sufficient quantity of thyroxin, his or her basal metabolic rate will slow. If too much thyroxin is produced, basal metabolic rate may increase by as much as 100 %. This is the reason that without treatment thyroid problems can lead to extreme weight fluctuations. Fortunately, thyroxin imbalances can be controlled by medicine for most people.

Additionally, regardless of gender or other genetic factors, some people naturally have slower metabolisms, and others possess higher basal metabolic rates. As well as the impact of hereditary factors, basal metabolic rate also can change significantly with age and/or activity level. Generally speaking, the greater lean body mass a person has, the larger his or her basal metabolic rate. On the other hand, as body fat percentage increases, basal metabolic rate reduces.

One of the reasons that cardio exercise and weight training perform such an important role in weight loss is that both of these activities can improve basal metabolic rate. The reason that people have a tendency to gain weight as they age if their exercise levels do not increase, is that basal metabolism tends to decrease as they age and naturally begin to lose lean body mass. After the age of 20, basal metabolism tends to decrease by about two percent each year. If calorie consumption remains constant but physical exercise levels do not improve, weight gain will occur as basal metabolic rate diminishes with age.

Individuals who are obese or obese have a high risk for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. A person that is overweight should try to avoid attaining additional weight and improve their daily activity degree. Additionally, if you are overweight with other risk factors (such as high LDL cholesterol, low HDL ldl cholesterol, or high blood pressure), you should try to lose weight. Even a little weight loss (just 10% of your current weight) may help in lowering the risk of illness. In order to lose weight, you just need to increase your daily exercise or consume less calories than those needed to maintain your weight.

Article resource: articlemotron . com