{"id":18968,"date":"2022-03-18T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/?p=18968"},"modified":"2022-03-11T11:01:47","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T16:01:47","slug":"the-vegetarian-resource-group-responds-to-a-question-about-metabolism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/2022\/03\/18\/the-vegetarian-resource-group-responds-to-a-question-about-metabolism\/","title":{"rendered":"The Vegetarian Resource Group Responds to a Question about Metabolism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD<\/p>\n

We recently received a question from a \u201csenior person, longtime vegan\u201d who had noticed that they were gaining weight. They asked, \u201cIs there anything you can recommend to recharge my metabolism at my age?\u201d<\/p>\n

Others may have similar questions about changes in metabolism with aging, so we are sharing an edited version of our response.<\/p>\n

A slowing of metabolism is a part of aging. \u00a0As people get older, the composition of their body gradually changes. The proportion of fat increases and the proportion of muscle decreases. This change slows metabolism. The amount of muscle that a person has affects how many calories they need.\u00a0 Muscle tissue uses calories, even when you\u2019re not exercising. If you have less muscle, your calories needs are lower. This means that older people often need fewer calories to maintain their weight than do younger people.<\/p>\n

Exercise builds muscle and can slow or stop muscle loss. It helps you burn energy \u2013 that means you need more calories. If you\u2019re wondering about how much exercise you need, you may want to check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)\u2019s recommendations for physical activity for older adults<\/a>. They suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week (for example, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) and including muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days a week.\u00a0 According to the CDC, these recommendations are for those who are \u201c65 years of age and older, are generally fit, and have no limiting health conditions.\u201d\u00a0 Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activity include brisk walking, water aerobics, dancing, and bicycling. Examples of muscle-strengthening activity include lifting weights, working with resistance bands, and some forms of yoga. There is more information about possible activities on CDC\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

In addition, some research suggests that older adults need a somewhat higher protein intake than younger adults. This somewhat higher protein intake, especially when combined with muscle-strengthening activities can build muscle in older adults.\u00a0 We\u2019ve recently written about this on VRG\u2019s blog<\/a>. This post gives more information about what amount of protein is recommended and how to get it on a vegan diet.<\/p>\n

You may see claims on websites or in print that certain supplements or specific foods will boost your metabolism. There doesn\u2019t seem to be any evidence that these products offer significant benefits.<\/p>\n

Check with your health care provider if you are concerned about your weight or your metabolism to make sure that there is no medical cause for your slower metabolism. You can also discuss your physical activity plans with your health care provider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD We recently received a question from a \u201csenior person, longtime vegan\u201d who had noticed that they were gaining weight. They asked, \u201cIs there anything you can recommend to recharge my metabolism at my age?\u201d Others may have similar questions about changes in metabolism with aging, so we are sharing an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18968"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18970,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18968\/revisions\/18970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}