Metabolism slowing down is commonly linked to age, but the exact timing and reasons have been better clarified by recent research.
- Metabolism peaks very early in life, around age 1.
- It gradually declines about 3% per year until around age 20.
- From roughly age 20 to 60, metabolism remains relatively stable or plateaus.
- Metabolism starts to slow down more noticeably after about age 60, with a gradual decline of less than 1% per year thereafter.
- This slowdown with older age is due to factors like loss of muscle mass (which burns more calories than fat), cellular metabolic changes, and hormonal shifts.
- Loss of muscle mass can begin earlier, around age 30 or 40, which might contribute to the perception of slower metabolism, but the metabolic rate overall does not significantly drop until after 60.
- Other lifestyle factors such as physical activity and diet also influence metabolism's efficiency.
Therefore, while muscle loss and activity reduction can start earlier and affect metabolism, the basal metabolic rate itself tends to slow down significantly only after age 60.
Healthy lifestyle choices such as strength training, aerobic exercise, and balanced nutrition can help counteract some of the metabolic slowdown related to aging.
