As an endocrine system surgeon, I routinely deal with organs that regulate the way our bodies digest food. Consequently, I’m often answering questions about diets. People often ask what foods they should eat or what they should avoid both before and after surgery, or how they can speed up their metabolism. Today, we explain how your endocrine system digests food, and what you can do to impact your metabolism. Your metabolism is how fast your body burns calories, and the rate at which it burns this energy is known as your metabolic rate. Here are seven factors that influence the rate at which your body burns calories.

Muscle Mass

Since muscle requires more energy to function than fat, the more muscle tissue you carry, the more energy your body needs to function. If you want to boost your metabolism, increase the amount of muscle tissue on your body.

Your Body Size

Individuals with genetically larger bodies also tend to have slightly larger internal organs, which means they need to maintain more fluids in these organs, and your metabolism helps contribute to organ fluid volume. Also, tall individuals have larger skin surfaces than short people, meaning their bodies have to work slightly harder to maintain a constant temperature.

Exercise

Regular exercise helps to increase muscle mass, which as we mentioned above, helps you burn more calories.

Your Thyroid Gland

The enzymes that help break down food are actually produced in your thyroid. If you have an overactive or underactive thyroid, these hormones may not be able to effectively regulate your metabolism.

Your Diet

This one goes hand in hand with the above point. Your diet helps regulate thyroid hormone production. As we mentioned in a recent blog, if you’re not getting enough iodine in your diet, your thyroid may not be able to produce enzymes that impact your metabolism.

Drugs

Caffeine and nicotine can speed up your metabolic rate in the short term, but we don’t recommend pounding coffee or taking up smoking. Other prescription drugs like antidepressants can lower your metabolic rate.

Your Sex

Since men are typically larger than women, they tend to burn calories slightly quicker than women.