When the general population talks about their metabolism, they're typically referring to their metabolic rate, which is how many calories your body burns in a period of time. Dr. Arad explained that metabolism is a complex process that essentially relates to your body's ability to process energy from fat, protein, and sugar and how it stores energy. He also explained that everyone has a different metabolic rate that is affected by variables such as age, sex, and activity level.
Another extremely important variable that can affect your metabolism is your hormones. A reduction of oestrogen for women and testosterone for men can lead to an increase in fat mass or a loss of muscle mass, and it's also related to your ability to burn fat, Dr. Arad explained. While these hormonal reductions are inevitable and occur with age, such as during menopause, Dr. Arad explained that there's another hormone that can really wreak havoc on your metabolism: cortisol.
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