How To Increase Your Metabolism

A person’s metabolism is the rate at which their body burns calories for energy. The speed of metabolism depends on various factors, including age, sex, body fat, muscle mass, activity level, and genetics.

Calories provide the energy the body needs, not only to move but also to breathe, digest food, circulate blood, grow cells, repair wounds, and even to think. The rate at which the body burns calories to produce this energy is called the metabolic rate.

ScientistsTrusted Source use various formulae to measure resting metabolic rate (RMR), also known as resting energy expenditure (REE). RMR and REE refer to the amount of energy a body uses at rest, for example, sleeping or sitting.

The rate can vary between individuals. Factors affecting it include age, sex, and the activity the person is carrying out at the time.

While a person has no control over the genetic aspects of their metabolism, research shows that some strategies may help speed up the rate at which the body processes calories.

It is worth noting that, while speeding up the metabolism may help people burn calories and lose weight, it needs to be part of an overall strategy that includes a healthy and varied diet and regular exercise.

In this article, learn about 10 approaches that may help increase metabolism.

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1. Eat at regular times

The body relies on balance and regularity.

In 2019, some researchersTrusted Source suggested that following a regular meal pattern can help reduce inflammation, improve circadian rhythms, increase the body’s ability to withstand stress, and manage gut flora, the composition of bacteria that help keep the gut healthy.

They suggested that the following may provide health benefits:

• eat breakfast
• consume most energy-providing foods early in the day
• eat two to three meals per day at regular times
• have periods of fasting

The authors also hypothesized that meal timing may play a role in resting energy expenditure. However, the results were not conclusive, and more reseach is needed.

Learn about time-restricted eating, which focuses on the timing of meals to improve health and gain muscle.

2. Eat enough calories

Some people skip meals as a way to lose weight. However, this can negatively impact metabolism. Eating meals that are not filling can have the same effect.

Eating too few calories can cause a person’s metabolism to slow down so the body can conserve energy, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

According to current dietary guidelines, adult females aged 19 and over need 1,600–2,400Trusted Source calories a day, depending on their physical activity levels, and males need 2,000–3,000. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, females will need up to 452 additional calories, depending on the stage.

3. Eat more protein

Reducing calories may not increase metabolic rate, but the choice of foods that provide those calories may do. Protein, for example, may be more likely than carbohydrates or fat to promote thermogenesis, the burning of calories in the body

In a 2020 studyTrusted Source, 38 people followed either a high protein diet, with 25% of their calories coming from protein, or a medium protein diet, with 15% of their energy coming from protein. Those who consumed a higher proportion of protein burned more energy than those who consumed less.

4. Do resistance training

Strength training helps build muscle, and it may slightly increase a person’s rate of metabolism while resting, for example, when they are sleeping or sitting.

The authors of a small 2018 studyTrusted Source found that combining resistance training with dietary measures led to a slight increase in metabolic rate, but it was not statistically significant. Participants who did only resistance training saw a reduction in fat mass and an increase in lean mass.

ResearchTrusted Source suggests that when a person has more muscle mass, their body uses food for energy more effectively. In other words, their metabolism is less wasteful.

In one studyTrusted Source, participants who did resistance training for 9 months saw an average 5% increase in metabolic rate, but the findings varied widely between individuals. The researchers suggested that fat free mass (lean mass) and thyroid hormone levels might help account for the variability.

Resistance training may involve lifting weights and doing exercises that use the weight of the body or resistance bands to build muscle.

A previous studyTrusted Source, from 2012, found that high intensity interval resistance training also increased metabolic rate. In this study, the rate at which participants’ bodies used energy was higher for at least 22 hours after one training session.

Interval training is highly intensive and may be more suitable for people who are already fit than those who are new to regular exercise.

5. Drink enough water

Staying hydrated is essential for the body to function at its best. Water is necessary for optimal metabolism, and it may help a person lose weight.

In 2016, scientists assessed the metabolic rate of 13 people who consumed either 250 or 500 milliliters (ml) of water. They found evidence of increased fat oxidation after 500 ml when a person is at rest, and concluded that drinking water may have an impact on metabolism. However, they did not find that it increased metabolic rate.

This may happen because the additional water helps the body burn fat preferentially over carbohydrate.

6. Reduce stress

Stress affects hormone levels, and it can cause the body to produce more cortisol than usual.

Cortisol is a hormone that helps regulate appetite. In 2011, researchersTrusted Source found unusually high cortisol levels in people with disordered eating. The body releases cortisol in times of stress.

However, the authors of a small 2020 studyTrusted Source found no evidence linking resting metabolic rate and anxiety.

Stress could also have an indirect impact by affecting eating patterns and sleep, both of which can alter the rate of metabolism.

7. Get enough sleep

People who have less sleep may have a lower metabolic rate, according to researchTrusted Source from 2016. The study took place in a sleep laboratory, and participants slept 4 hours per night for 5 nights followed by one night of 12 hours sleep. Their metabolic rate fell after the nights with little sleep but returned to their usual levels after the night of recovery sleep.

The authors believed the body reduces metabolic rate to conserve energy when a person sleeps less. They noted this could lead to weight gain in people who do not get enough sleep.

The need for sleep varies between individuals, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults aged 18–60 should have at least 7 hoursTrusted Source per night.

8. Get enough vitamins

Vitamins play an essential role in metabolism.

The resultsTrusted Source of a rodent experiment from 2018 suggested that a low intake of various B vitamins could impact the rate at which the body metabolizes lipids, including cholesterol and triglycerides.

More research may be needed to understand the relationship between vitamins, metabolism, and weight loss.

9. Spice up your meals

Some researchTrusted Source has suggested that eating spices such as chili, which contains capsaicin, can increase metabolic rate, including the rate at which the body burns fat and uses energy.

A 2014 studyTrusted Source from China found that people who ate spicy food every day were more likely to have a high body mass index (BMI) than those who did not. The researchers noted that more investigations are needed to find out why this happens.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that while eating hot chilies might boost metabolic rate temporarily, it is unlikely to have a significant impact.

10. Seek treatment for hypothyroidism

People with low levels of thyroid hormone may have a slower metabolism.

Thyroid hormone stimulates the production of substances that increase oxygen consumption, respiration rate, and body temperature. This involves a higher rateTrusted Source of energy consumption.

Conversely, the body of a person with hypothyroidism is likely to burn energy at lowerTrusted Source rate. Their metabolic rate may be slower, and they may have a higher risk of weight gain and obesity.

For those with hypothyroidism, taking medications that increase the levels of thyroid hormone can increaseTrusted Source their resting metabolic rate.

Seeking help for hypothyroidism can help speed up metabolic rate and reduce the risk of complications linked to this condition.