Question: Can the metabolism change at any point of your life?

LauraAnne Furlong answered on 9 Nov 2016:

I think the physiologists can give a more detailed explanation of this than I can, but in short, yes. As you go from your teens to your 20s, 30s, 40s and older, your metabolism gets slower. Your metabolic rate is related to how much exercise you do and how much muscle you have – If you do lots of exercise and have lots of muscle, you will have a high metabolic rate as it needs lots of energy to be able to move. We know that as we age, we tend to lose muscle as we do less activity, and so our metabolism gets slower. This then leads to weight gain. Other factors apart from ageing that can affect your metabolism however include pregnancy and the menopause in older ladies, as both have a big effect on your hormones, which further affects your metabolism, as well as living in a hot climate – this can increase your metabolism by up to 20% compared to someone living in a colder location.