The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have state of the art whole room calorimeters at $3m each. They are used to conduct fundamental metabolic research and provided some interesting insights into the role of metabolism in weight loss including:
- Heavier people generally have higher metabolic rates than skinny folks to meet the fuel demands of their larger bodies.
- Crash dieting can permanently slow a person’s metabolic rate
- Low carb diets don’t always improve fat utilisation
- There’s a lot of variation in how people respond to diets and exercises, and so far, no single approach has worked to help everybody.
Journalist Julia Belluz reported on her experience spending a day inside a metabolic chamber in her article “What I learned about weight loss from spending a day inside a metabolic chamber”.
It highlights why so much of the one-size-fits-all weight loss advice we’re steeped in is so frustrating and futile for so many.
The good news is that this research technology can be applied to your own journey to create long term success at MHS clinics. Click here to find out more.