How to Fight Middle-Aged Spread
Why is it that our clothes keep getting larger although we do not eat more? The answer lies in an accumulation of weight with age. The leading cause for middle-aged weight gain is the overall decrease in muscle mass and basal metabolic rate that comes with age.
The basal metabolic rate is the minimum amount of energy needed to sustain our basic biological functions. Family physician Dr. Yeo Esther, director of the Esther Clinic, said, “After the age of thirty, muscle mass decreases by 3 kg every 10 years, and the basal metabolic rate drops by 1 percent each year.” Because energy consumption decreases while food intake remains the same, the extra calories are ultimately converted into fat.
The decrease in growth hormones and sex hormones also contribute to weight gain. Professor Kang Jae-heon, Department of Family Medicine, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, said, “As the growth hormone that maintains muscle mass rapidly decreases, menopausal symptoms manifest during one’s 30s and 40s, and fat cells travel to abdomen and thighs, eventually leading to rapid weight gain. Research also indicates that, even if conditions such as daily food intake or exercise remain the same, a man’s weight increases by 1 kg every three years in middle age.”
Most women believe that it is extra weight gained after childbirth that makes them overweight. But weight gain due to childbirth comes mainly from subcutaneous fat, but middle-aged weight gain comes from intestinal fat within the abdomen. It therefore poses health risks since the chief causes of geriatric diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiac disorder and stroke are related to intestinal fat.
To get rid of middle-aged spread, people should either reduce their daily calorie intake to compensate for the reduced basal metabolic rate or increase the rate through constant exercise. Experts stress that the most effective means to suppress weight gain is moderate eating. Unlike reduced eating, moderate consumption of food involves reducing the calorie intake rather than the amount itself.
The U.S. National Institute on Aging concluded in research that a 30-percent reduction in food calories in middle age can increase life expectancy and maximize anti-aging effects.
“The average middle-aged Korean man consumes 2,300 to 2,500 kcal per day, while Korean woman consume 1,900 to 2,200 kcal,” Yeo said. “In case they find it hard to keep up regular workouts, it is best for men to consume from 1,800 to 2,000 kcal and women 1,600 to 1,800 kcal to reduce body fat.” But it is also important to consume enough protein to prevent loss of muscle mass and maintain healthy skin.
Drinking plenty of water also helps. People who drink eight glasses of cold water a day lose 2.5 kg per year more than those who do not. Experts say plenty of water is needed to excrete nitrous by products in the body that come from digesting the protein in low-calorie diets.
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