Losing weight becomes more difficult with age, but the reason is not necessarily due to a slowing of metabolism as many believe, but rather to a range of changes that occur in the body.
In your twenties, cutting back on sweets or stopping alcohol for a short period may be enough to lose a few kilograms, while the same steps may not achieve the same result after the ge e of forty.
However, scientific evidence suggests that aging is not necessarily synonymous with a slower metabolism. A study published in the journal Science concluded that energy expenditure remains largely stable between the ages of 20 and 60, when accounting for body size and composition.
Experts explain that body composition and physical activity play an important role in explaining weight gain with age.
In your twenties, muscle mass is typically higher, while body fat is lower. Since muscles consume energy even at rest, having more muscle mass helps you burn more calories.
But starting in their mid-thirties, adults begin to gradually lose muscle mass, and the rate of loss can reach about 1% per year in the absence of strength and resistance training.
Meanwhile, many people are experiencing a decline in physical activity without realizing it. They may walk less and move around more daily, while spending more time sitting, whether at work or at home.
A study that followed 963 people aged between 38 and 50 for ten years indicates that the duration of inactivity increased on average by about 40 minutes per day, while light physical activity decreased by about 30 minutes per day.
Other factors may also contribute to weight gain, such as having children, working long hours, eating late at night, and consuming leftover baby food, which contains calories that may not be included in a person's daily calculation.
Women face an additional factor in middle age, as hormonal changes associated with perimenopause and menopause affect how fat is stored.
With a decrease in estrogen, fat tends to accumulate around the abdomen and waist rather than the hips and thighs.
Hot flashes can also affect sleep quality, which may be related to changes in hormone levels associated with hunger and stress.
However, experts warn against considering hormones as the sole cause of weight gain, as changes in activity and eating habits also play an important role.
Another problem arises after age 60, as muscles become less responsive to protein, a phenomenon known as "resistance muscle growth." This makes maintaining muscle mass more difficult, and resistance training and adequate protein intake become increasingly important.
Experts believe that older adults need about 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, compared to about 0.8 grams for adults in general. This need may increase to about 1.5 grams per kilogram during illness.
The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) recommends approximately 30 calories per kilogram of body weight per day as a guideline for older adults, which is about 2,100 calories for a person weighing 70 kilograms.
Therefore, the difficulty in losing weight with age is not only related to a slowing of metabolism, but also to a combination of loss of muscle mass, reduced daily movement, changing eating habits, and hormonal changes.
Therefore, experts focus on maintaining physical activity and muscle mass, practicing resistance exercises, and getting enough protein, rather than focusing solely on reducing calories.
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