It’s easy to blame a sluggish metabolism if you feel like you do everything “right” yet still have trouble with your weight, cravings, or low energy. A lot of people think the problem is just age, genetics, or willpower. But a study performed by Harvard shows that there may be a more startling hidden element that is slowing down your metabolism: chemicals in everyday items that quietly mess with how your body burns energy.
Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health looked into how a group of industrial chemicals known as PFAS, which are commonly nicknamed “forever chemicals,” are linked to gaining weight back and changes in resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn when you’re not doing anything). Higher levels of PFAS were linked to increased weight gain and a slower metabolism after dieting, especially in women.
That means that your slow metabolism could not just be because of your age or “bad genes.” It could also be because of things you can’t see, including the food you eat, the cookware you use, and the air you breathe. We’ll talk about what this Harvard study really revealed, how slow metabolism works, and what you can do right now to keep your metabolism and energy safe.
What your metabolism does all day long
Before we get into the Harvard findings in more detail, it’s important to know what metabolism is and what it means to have a slow metabolism. Metabolism is the process by which your body turns food and oxygen into energy that it may utilize for everything from breathing and moving to thinking.
Scientists often divide the amount of energy you consume each day into three primary parts:
- Resting metabolic rate (RMR): The amount of energy your body consumes while you are at rest to keep you alive. This includes circulating blood, keeping your body temperature stable, powering your brain, and running your organs.
- The thermic effect of food (TEF): The number of calories your body burns while it digests and processes what you consume.
- Physical activity: All the energy you spend for everyday tasks like walking, fidgeting, and completing housework.
The resting metabolic rate is the most important one. Studies reveal that it normally uses up 60–70% of the energy you use up in a day. People who are worried about having a slow metabolism are usually talking about having a lower-than-normal RMR. That means individuals burn less calories when they are at rest, which can make it easier to gain weight and harder to feel invigorated.
There is a litle known supplement available that many people are starting to use that has phenomenal results and can revive your metabolism very quickly.
Click here to see if it’s still available before it’s too late.
The Harvard study is crucial because it shows that your RMR, and hence your chance of having a slow metabolism, is affected not just by your age, sex, body size, sleep, and hormones, but also by chemicals you may not be aware of in your environment.
The Harvard PFAS study: chemicals that might slow down metabolism
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other universities looked at data from the POUNDS Lost trial in 2018. This was a two-year randomized clinical study of 621 overweight and obese people who followed calorie-restricted diets.
Researchers analyzed the blood levels of a number of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) before the start of the experiment. PFAS are industrial chemicals that are used in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, food wrappers, and many other things. In the first six months, participants dropped an average of 6.4 kg (approximately 14 lb), but in the next 18 months, they gained back roughly 2.7 kg (6 lb).
The team discovered the following regarding delayed metabolism and weight regain:
- Women were more likely to gain weight again after dieting if they had higher levels of PFAS.
- People with higher PFAS levels had a bigger dip in their resting metabolic rate (RMR) when they lost weight and a smaller rise in their RMR when they gained weight back.
- This trend shows that being around PFAS could slow down your metabolism by lowering the quantity of calories you burn while you rest, which makes it easier to gain weight back.
An easy-to-read report from Time magazine said that people with higher PFAS levels burnt fewer calories while they were resting and had a harder time keeping weight off. This suggests that these chemicals may be a factor in the obesity pandemic.
The scientists didn’t show that PFAS directly cause a slow metabolism, but the link was strong enough to make people quite worried and bring up an environmental element that most of us don’t think about when we think about low energy or gaining weight again.
What are PFAS and where can you find them?
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, are sometimes nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily in the environment or in the body. Since the 1950s, they’ve been employed a lot in things that need to be able to resist water, grease, and stains.
Some common sources of PFAS are:
- Nonstick cookware that is old or broken
- Takeout boxes and wrappers for fast food
- Bags of popcorn for the microwave
- Clothes and carpets that won’t get wet or stained
- Some beauty and personal care items
PFAS are very hard to get rid of, thus they have polluted water, soil, and even the blood of most persons tested in the U.S. That indicates that not only your behaviors, but even chemicals you’ve never heard of may be affecting your slow metabolism.
How PFAS might slow down your resting metabolic rate
The Harvard team says that PFAS may be endocrine disruptors, which means they can mess with hormones that control metabolism, weight, and energy balance.
According to the POUNDS Lost study, those with greater PFAS levels had:
- A bigger drop in RMR during the time of weight loss
- A lesser resurgence in RMR during weight regain
- Stronger effects on women with slow metabolisms and weight gain, presumably because of interactions with estrogen and other sex hormones
Resting metabolism burns most of the calories you burn each day. So, even a little decline in RMR might mean that you burn less calories each day and your metabolism slows down over time.
Your metabolism doesn’t have to slow down. A supplement can help, and ther is a little known one that many are using right now to help increase RMR.
Click here to see if it’s still available and get your metabolism back today.
The main point is that if you’ve been trying to lose weight for years but haven’t been able to because of a sluggish metabolism, it might not be all in your head. Some of the problems could be caused by things in the environment that you can’t see, like PFAS, which slowly push your body to burn less energy and gain weight more easily.
Other scientific reasons for poor energy and a slow metabolism
The Harvard PFAS study points out one underlying cause, but there are other reasons why you can feel tired or have a slow metabolism. Metabolism is complicated, and many things can change how energized you feel and how many calories you burn, like sleep, hormones, the brain, and the immune system.
Research has found a few more crucial things that can slow down your metabolism and make you tired.
Signals for sleep, tiredness, and energy
A slow metabolism and chronic weariness sometimes go together. Studies suggest that not getting enough sleep or having sleep problems can change hormones like leptin and ghrelin, make you hungrier, and change how your body uses glucose and stores fat.
The NIH says that fatigue is a symptom, not a disease, and it can be caused by a number of things, such as viral infections, drugs, a bad diet, depression, and long-term illnesses. If you’re always fatigued, you naturally move less and burn less calories, which makes your metabolism even slower.
Studies on energy-related sensations indicate that our subjective perceptions of “energy” or “fatigue” only partially correspond to actual metabolic alterations. Some people with a sluggish metabolism may feel OK, while others with a normal metabolism may nevertheless feel tired because of stress, lack of sleep, or mental overload.
Your age, hormones, and your body’s “set point” for metabolism
As people get older, they often realize that their metabolism slows down, even if they don’t modify their behaviors substantially. Your imagination isn’t playing tricks on you; your basal or resting metabolic rate tends to drop by 1–2% every decade after age 20. This is mostly because you lose muscle mass and your body composition changes.
Some real medical problems can also make your metabolism slow down too much, such as:
- Hypothyroidism (low thyroid function)
- Cushing’s syndrome (too much cortisol)
- Low testosterone and other hormone deficits
- Some long-term inflammatory or autoimmune diseases
An important detail: specialists say that most people who are overweight or have trouble losing weight do not have a clinically slow metabolism because they are sick. Adaptive changes, such as the body burning fewer calories after losing weight, less physical activity, and environmental factors such as PFAS, are often more important in slow metabolism.
Is your metabolism really slow, or is something else going on?
Since “slow metabolism” is a common reason for weight problems, it’s important to know what “slow” implies in medical terminology.
Doctors may assess resting metabolic rate in a lab using indirect calorimetry, which means you breathe into a device that analyzes how much oxygen you use and how much carbon dioxide you give off. After that, your measured RMR is compared to what it should be depending on your age, sex, height, and weight.
If your metabolism is really slow, it usually implies your RMR is much lower than it should be. This is often because of:
- Hormonal problems, such as hypothyroidism
- Severe, long-term calorie restriction
- Some medicines or long-term ailments
- Long-term metabolic adjustment following significant weight reduction
But a lot of people who think they have a slow metabolism really do have:
- Normal RMR for their physical size, however they don’t move around much during the day
- A history of crash diets that don’t last long and can lower RMR for a short time
- Chronic stress, sleep debt, or sadness that makes you tired and inactive
- Environmental exposures, such PFAS, that slowly slow down metabolism over time
If you think your metabolism is slow, you should talk to your doctor. They can check your thyroid current or prior labs, go over your medications, and help you determine if specialized metabolic testing is a good idea.
It’s also a good idea to consider supplements in your diet. There is a little known one that many people are starting to use today that may help.
Click here so you don’t find fake ones online and get the best discount.
How to help and protect your metabolism without any tricks
The good news is that you don’t have to feel helpless when your metabolism is slow. You can’t control everything, like your age or genes, but you can change a lot of other things, including how much you move, how much you sleep, and what you eat.
The following steps, which are based on science, can help your metabolism and energy levels.
Step 1: Cut down on your exposure to PFAS as much as you can
You can’t totally prevent PFAS, but you can limit your exposure, which can help one of the hidden causes of a slow metabolism.
Think of these useful changes:
- Get new pots and pans. When you can, get rid of outdated or scarred nonstick pans and get stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic ones instead.
- Eat less fast food and packaged meals. A lot of wrappers and cartons have grease-resistant coatings that are similar to PFAS. Cooking more at home lowers both exposure and calories, which can aid a slow metabolism.
- Look at the labels on the products. Check cookware, food packaging, outdoor gear, and cosmetics for statements that they are “PFAS-free” or “PFOA-free.”
- Drink water that has been filtered. If you’re worried about PFAS pollution in your neighborhood, a certified water filter that targets PFAS can help you drink less of it.
The Harvard study doesn’t show that PFAS are the only thing that can slow down your metabolism, but cutting down on your exposure is a low-risk measure that could help your metabolism and general health in the long run.
Step 2: Move in ways that help your metabolism as you rest
RMR is the major way your body burns calories every day, but physical exercise is still very important. It helps you burn more energy and keep your muscle mass, which in turn promotes RMR and keeps your metabolism from slowing down.
Research and professional advice always say:
- Regular strength training: Building and keeping muscle helps keep RMR from going down as you become older. Try to have 2–3 sessions a week.
- A mix of cardio and daily movement: Activities like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming increase the number of calories burned and make your heart healthier.
- Taking breaks from sitting for a long time: Non-exercise activities like taking walking breaks, standing up a lot, or fidgeting add up and make up for some of the slow metabolism that comes with sitting still.
Even small changes in exercise, like walking a few thousand more steps a day, can help speed up your metabolism over time by raising both your RMR and your overall daily energy expenditure.
Step 3: Don’t punish your body with your eating habits
People who crash diet often have a lower resting metabolic rate than they would if they only lost weight. This is known as adaptive thermogenesis or “metabolic adaptation.”
To keep your metabolism from slowing down too much by restricting yourself too much:
- Don’t cut your calories too much. Moderate deficits are easier to stick to and don’t slow down your metabolism as much as really low-calorie diets do.
- Put protein first. Protein takes more energy to digest than fat or carbs, and getting enough protein helps keep muscle mass, which is one of the best ways to fight a slow metabolism.
- Pick foods that are primarily whole and not too processed. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains that are high in fiber can help keep blood sugar and energy levels stable.
- Fill up on fuel all the time. Long periods of not eating or missing meals often, especially when mixed with strenuous exercise, might make you more tired and sometimes make your body store energy.
Instead of thinking about “dieting,” think about how to keep your metabolism healthy. This will help your body not feel like it has to slam on the brakes and slow down as a survival response.
Step 4: Make sleep and stress management a priority
A lot of people don’t think about sleep and stress, yet they can have a big effect on whether your metabolism is sluggish or fast.
Research indicates that inadequate or substandard sleep might diminish glucose tolerance, modify appetite-regulating hormones, and elevate the risk of obesity and metabolic disorders. Stress that lasts a long period can raise cortisol levels, make you store fat in your stomach, and lower your desire to move. All of these things can slow down your metabolism and make you feel tired over time.
Some good behaviors are:
- Setting a regular sleep routine and trying to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night
- Making a soothing routine before bed (turning down the lights, not scrolling through gloom, and stretching gently)
- Using things like mindfulness, breathing exercises, writing, or therapy to deal with stress
Taking care of your nervous system and getting enough sleep makes it easier for your body to keep a healthy metabolic rate and get rid of the sense of a slow metabolism.
Step 5: If you can’t stop being “tired all the time,” talk to your doctor
Lastly, keep in mind that feeling tired all the time and having a sluggish metabolism can be signs, not deficiencies in your character. The NIH says that tiredness can be a sign of infections, anemia, heart disease, depression, side effects of medications, endocrine abnormalities, and other things.
It’s also proper to consider supplements along with all this. Always consult with your doctor first, but it’s good to at leastk now what’s out there.
I know of this supplement that can give you the benefits aof a balanced mnetabolism back.
