By Gabe Sander Ph.D., NSCA-CSCS
Have you ever come across the term “lipid metabolism?”
Lipids are fat molecules and lipid metabolism is the biochemical break down of fat molecules, which are then used to supply energy for body functions and activities. In a more simplistic way of thinking about it, lipid metabolism is your body’s ability to burn fat. However, it is imperative to know that there is more to burning fat than just exercise. In fact, genetics and proper nutrition combined with the right type of exercise can boost your lipid metabolism and help you lose weight.
Rate of “fat burn” is influenced by daily lifestyle habits
First, lipid metabolism is more than just burning fat during exercise. Lipid metabolism is constantly occurring in your body throughout the day and night. Further, the rate of lipid metabolism is influenced by your daily lifestyle habits and, of course, genetics.
With that said there are also ways to control your body’s ability to break down fats. Exercise and nutrition are the primary controllable factors. Regarding exercise, it is ideal to engage in moderate and high-intensity exercise because the energy demand for that type of exercise will increase the rate your body will breakdown fats as energy.
Secondly, consuming fewer carbohydrates, especially processed and high sugar content carbs, will improve fat breakdown because if your body lacks glucose from carbohydrates, it will break down fat to create the energy you need.
Water is the most important
While diet and exercise are critical factors, the liquids you ingest will help as well. Water is the most important liquid you can drink for many reasons! With respect to lipid metabolism, a process called hydrolysis is the first step of the process and as you can guess, hydrolysis requires lots of water. So make sure you drink plenty of water. Lastly, and perhaps most interestingly, research has found that drinking various types of tea can boost lipid metabolism.
Five critical lifestyle changes to supercharge your fat burn
To supercharge your fat burn, add these five critical lifestyle changes to your daily regimen.
- Moderate intensity exercise on most days of the week.
- Engage in intermittent high-intensity exercise at least 3 days per week
- Avoid overeating carbohydrates, especially highly processed carbs
- Drink white tea, yellow tea, and oolong tea
- Drink plenty of water each day.
Article’s Sources
Marniemi, J., A. Seppänen, and P. Hakala. “Long-term effects on lipid metabolism of weight reduction on lactovegetarian and mixed diet.” International journal of obesity2 (1990): 113-125.
Liu, Chen, et al. “Six types of tea reduce high-fat-diet-induced fat accumulation in mice by increasing lipid metabolism and suppressing inflammation.” Food & function4 (2019): 2061-2074.
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