Human Metabolism | Julia Belluz | 2018

Systems Thinking
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Towards thinking more in a biological sense than a mechanistic sense, here are two easy articles written by a science journalist.

… not everyone overeats and becomes overweight, and not everyone who becomes overweight or obese develops illnesses like diabetes or heart disease. This individual variation — why we have different responses to extra calories and weight — is one of the greatest mysteries of modern medicine.
The best place to find answers is an 11-by-11.5-foot room in suburban Washington, DC. This summer, I spent a day there, one of fewer than 100 patients who will do so this year.

“What I learned about weight loss from spending a day inside a metabolic chamber” | Julia Belluz | 2018 | Vox Media at https://www.vox.com/2018/9/4/17486110/metabolism-diet-fast-weight-loss

Here are nine facts to help you understand metabolism, and how to think about it in the context of weight gain and weight loss.

  1. Your metabolism is in every cell in your body …
  2. Most of the energy you burn is from your resting metabolism …
  3. Metabolism can vary a lot between people, and researchers don’t understand why …
  4. Another thing that slows down the metabolism: getting older …
  5. You can’t really speed your metabolism up for weight loss …
  6. Dieting can slow down your metabolism …
  7. Researchers don’t fully understand why this metabolic slowdown happens …
  8. A slower metabolism doesn’t mean keeping weight off is futile …
  9. Bonus fun fact: Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism in the animal kingdom …

" Most of us misunderstand metabolism. Here are 9 facts to clear that up." | Julia Belluz | 2018 | Vox at https://www.vox.com/2016/5/18/11685254/metabolism-definition-booster-weight-loss