Metabolism: guilty or innocent?

Written by: Marian Alonso-Cortés (dietist-nutricionist)

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The term “metabolism” has always been under the spotlight. It’s a term that’s subjected to many questions, is shrouded in mystery, and provokes many statements, for example: 

“My metabolism has changed” 

“My metabolism is to blame” 

“Can I change my metabolism?”  

What is metabolism and why is it important to know how it works in our organism?

All the transformations that food and the component nutrients undergo in our body when we eat is called metabolism. 

This means we can understand metabolism as a process:

• 1st The food we eat is transformed into nutrients
• 2nd The nutrients are absorbed by our organism
• 3rd Our organism distributes those nutrients so they can carry out their main functions. 

One of the most important jobs of nutrients is to provide energy (kilocalories) to our body, and the way we use that energy is fundamental when it comes to maintaining the right weight. 

On the surface it looks easy: 

- If the body “eats” more energy (kilocalories) than it expends, then that energy will accumulate and you will put on weight. 

- If the body “eats” less energy (kilocalories) than it expends, we have to use energy from our reserves and we lose weight. 

- If the body “eats” the same amount of energy (kilocalories) as it expends, our weight will stay the same.

However, these simple premises don’t always work, as there are many possible intervening factors: age, medication, problems of absorption, hormonal changes, etc. 

The thyroid gland, thyroid hormones and their importance in controlling the metabolism 

To regulate and manage the metabolism, our body is equipped with a complete system in which different, very important factors intervene:  

On the one hand, there are a series of hormones made by the thyroid gland and the pancreas which, amongst other things, help to control the rate and direction of metabolism.  

The thyroid gland is key to this regulation. This gland is found in our neck and is responsible for producing 
thyroid hormones.  

But why is it so important for our thyroid to function well?

We need to bear in mind that if our gland produces the right amount of hormones and if these thyroid hormones work properly, energy use will be more efficient.  

We can therefore see that thyroid function is directly related to energy levels and weight control. 

How can you ensure your metabolism works properly? 

To maintain the right balance between energy levels and a good weight, here at 4Life we back a healthy lifestyle that can be achieved by following two important pillars:

• A balanced diet: adapted to our characteristics and activity is should be low in fat, sugar and alcohol. 
• Physical activity: we need to move every day during our day-to-day journeys, to walk, use a bike instead of the car (whenever possible), to walk up stairs and do some kind of sport that we enjoy. 

However, through diet and food supplements, we can also provide extra nutrients and substances to boost the metabolism. 

But would you like to know which nutrients make the thyroid work properly? Allow us to introduce you to selenium and iodine.

 
- Selenium helps protect cells against oxidative damage, as well as contributing to correct thyroid function. 
- Iodine, together with selenium, also helps with normal thyroid hormone production, while iodine also helps ensure normal energy metabolism. 

That’s why at 4Life we have created Transfer Factor Metabolite™. As well as selenium and iodine, it contains fruit extracts with antioxidant components: grapes, pomegranate, bilberry, grapefruit, aronia and olive leaf. To give you energy galore!

But teamwork is always much better, and that’s why 4Life Energy Go Stix™ Tropical complements Transfer Factor Metabolite for specific situations where you may experience maximum (physical and mental) demand: it includes specific ingredients such as ginseng, guarana, maca, yerba mate, green tea and rhodiola. 

What’s more, 4Life Energy Go Stix Tropical contains ingredients, such as chromium, that help ensure the normal metabolism of macronutrients and help maintain normal blood sugar levels.