I bet you did know that your metabolism can be broken down into two categories. One being catabolism which is the breakdown of molecules to obtain energy, and the second being anabolism which is the synthesis of all compounds needed by the cells. However you break it down, the human metabolism is very dynamic. There are many factors that contribute to its function and its efficiency; exercise, diet, fluid intake, etc. But there is one variable that many may overlook, like I have.
Oxygen.
Oxygen intake is a major factor that contributes to the efficiency of our metabolism. As we move around throughout the day we invite more oxygen into our body while at the same time using it up. We use oxygen to convert food into energy, to walk, to think, and every single thing your body does on a daily basis. Likewise, for each food we consume we exert a certain amount of oxygen to break it down;
| Food | Energy released kcal/g |
Oxygen required liters O2/g |
CO2 liters/g |
| Carbohydrate | 4.1 | 0.81 | 0.81 |
| Fat | 9.3 | 1.96 | 1.39 |
| Protein | 4.0 | 0.94 | 0.75 |
| Alcohol | 7.1 | 1.46 | 0.97 |
(click here to view table on website)
The more oxygen you intake the quicker your metabolism. There are breathing exercises, if followed properly, that can actually make you lose weight without exerting any serious energy. To learn more about lazy weight loss, click here for a live link.
Sources:
http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Metabolism.aspx
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/biology/metab.html
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/proper-breathing-boost-metabolism-15147.html
I have always been told that a “fast metabolism” is something you are born with. Some are faster than others and is just the way your body is. I never thought it could be due to oxygen because most people suggest that thinner people typically just have a faster metabolism and I never questioned it. Maybe that could prove true because less oxygen flows through for overweight people, who typically have a harder time breathing. A doctor explains how weight can be correlated to metabolism in this article http://www.sharecare.com/health/how-the-metabolic-process-works/weight-control-correlated-metabolism
This is very new to me. I really didn’t think this had such a big effect on your metabolism. Very interesting post though!
I didn’t know that oxygen was such a big factor in our metabolism. I’m very skinny and so I don’t care to educate myself about things like weight loss. What if you want to put on weight? I’m thinking eating more will do the trick as well but if someone already has a fast metabolism than i guess it takes food and less breathing.
I have never heard of this before, but it definitely sound plausible. Many people don’t realize that the calories you burn by working out aren’t even close to the total amount you burn everyday. Thinking, breathing, walking, writing: they all take calories. It seems to make sense that if oxygen is used to breakdown food molecules that the more you have of it, the faster your metabolism. Maybe there is a right way to breathe and lots of people are doing it wrong. This is definitely something I’d want to see more experiments done on!