Why losing weight becomes harder as we get older

why-losing-weight-becomes-harder-as-we-get-older

Once a kilo a week, today one a month: the older we get, the harder it is to lose weight. Researchers have now discovered a new reason for this.

There are some reasons why it just does not work to lose weight: We are still snacking too much, let the sports course in the evening fail or can not refuse the girlfriend’s invitation to eat. But at least: With some willpower you can work on these points. It becomes difficult when our body gets in our way and torpedoes every slimming attempt. A fairly common cause: our age.

Are we getting fat through aging?

It’s sad, but true: the older we get, the harder it gets to get rid of a few pounds. There are some scientifically proven reasons for this – for example:

  • The basal metabolic rate decreases: Muscles dwindle, resulting in more fat cells. These not only burn less calories, they also slow down the metabolism – which lowers the basal metabolic rate. This again leads to overweight faster .
  • Hormone production is decreasing: the older we get, the less of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone the body produces. Unfortunately, this also has negative effects on the basal metabolic rate.
  • Little movement: it constantly tweaks in the back or pokes in the knee – no wonder that older people often let the movement grind more. Physical discomfort ensures less exercise – and thus clear the way for overweight.

Nasty fat cells

As if that would not be enough, researchers have now found with the help of a small study another culprit for overweight in old age: Our own fat cells. The scientists studied the development of fat cells of 54 men and women over a period of 13 years. The focus of their observation was the breakdown of fat (lipids) from the fat cells. The researchers found that this so-called lipid turnover decreased, so the speed of degradation decreased.

20 percent increase

If you do not counteract this physical deficit by eating less and moving more, you almost inevitably expect weight gain as a result. Another study found that the subjects increased on average by 20 percent as a result of the reduced lipid turnover. So our lipid metabolism plays an important role in determining whether we grow older or not.