Causes and Risk Factors of Slower Metabolism, Difficulty in Losing Weight

Metabolism Converts Food into energy. Metabolism is a process in which carbohydrates, proteins and fats break down into smaller particles which are then utilized by the body to produce energy. If you have a good metabolism then you will be more active and healthy. Some people have genetically inherited fast metabolism. Men tend to have a better metabolism than women because they are more muscular. There are various scientifically proven ways of accelerating the body metabolism. But first we will briefly discuss the causes of a slow metabolism:

Causes of Slow Metabolism:

1. Hypothyroidism. Thyroid Hormone promotes utilization of carbohydrates, proteins and fats to produce energy. Deficiency of Thyroid hormone slows down metabolism: 4.6% of US population has hypothyroidism (JC-Endocrinology and metabolism. 2009)
2. Diabetes: Non-diabetic individuals can lose weight easily as compared to non-diabetics. Hyperglycemia mistakenly tells the body that there is a lot of energy around, this, in turn, slows the metabolism.
3. Lack of muscle Mass: Muscular tissue is more active as compared to adipose or fatty tissue. Muscles use more energy. This is the reason why men have better metabolism as compared to women.
4. Lifestyle: Lack of exercise, lack of activity, lack of social interactions all affects the metabolism negatively.
5. Drugs: Steroids, antidepressants and antipsychotics slow down the metabolism and cause weight gain.
6. Cushing Syndrome: In Cushing syndrome, there is a higher level of circulating cortisol (a steroid). And one of the side effects of an increase in cortisol is that it slows down the metabolism. According to a study, people affected by Cushing syndrome are obese and overweight because of slower metabolism (Philippe chansona, Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 2010)