GET ON THE FAST TRACK TURN YOUR SLUGGISH METABOLISM INTO A CALORIE-BURNING ENGINE.

Byline: La Rue Novick Staff Writer

Why can most kids eat whatever they want and stay rail thin, but adults can't even look at a piece of cake without packing on another pound?

It has a lot to do with metabolism, which tends to nose dive as people get older. But there's hope, health and nutrition experts say.

``Metabolism doesn't have to hit the skids, but it does traditionally if we don't work at it,'' said Dave Roadruck, a preventive medicine practitioner at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana.

Understanding metabolism, committing to physical activity, not skipping meals, shedding fat and building lean muscle are the keys to jump-starting metabolism naturally.

What is metabolism?

It's the process of converting food into fuel (calories) for the body. The body burns calories in three ways: physical activity, digestion of food and resting metabolic rate (RMR).

RMR is the amount of calories needed each day to sustain all the body's vital functions and keep people going while the body is at rest (which could mean sitting at a computer or lounging on the couch). It doesn't include the energy needed to perform physical activity or process food.

RMR differs depending on gender and body composition. In general, a man will have a much higher RMR because men have less fat and more lean muscle mass, which burns more calories in a day. The more fat a person carries, the slower the metabolism. But it's not usually as slow as some heavy people think.

Dr. Michael Hirt, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine in Tarzana, compares those with a slow metabolism to today's gas hybrid vehicles.

``On one hand, it's bad because they're more prone to obesity. On the other hand, their bodies are extremely efficient. They're like hybrid vehicles on the road today, getting 60 to 70 miles to the gallon. People with a fast metabolism are like the gas guzzlers, getting five to six miles to the gallon.''

Brenda Rey, assistant professor at Loma Linda University's School of Public Health, said many overweight individuals pay to have their resting metabolism measured because they think something is wrong. When they find out they're burning far more calories a day than they thought, they're usually shocked, she said. Some want to blame their weight on an abnormally slow metabolism; the real culprits are overeating and not exercising enough.

``Sixty to 70 percent of metabolism is due to genetics,'' Hirt said. ``The balance is environmental - what you're eating and what you are doing.''

Genetics factor into metabolism to some degree. Thyroid diseases can dramatically affect metabolism by suddenly speeding it up or slowing it down. Anyone who has experienced sudden weight gain or weight loss for no apparent reason should be checked for thyroid disease. Dr. Ewa Konca, an endocrinologist at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, said she thinks every woman age 35 and older should be screened for thyroid disease just to be safe.

Metabolism starts plummeting at age 30 and takes a major hit every 10 years. Health experts estimate a decline of 3 percent to 5 percent each decade. It happens because people lose muscle as they get older, typically because they become less active.

The good news is that metabolism speeds up with exercise. Being physically active causes the body to burn more calories in a day. Roadruck suggests walking 45 minutes and doing weight-resistance training four or five times a week. The U.S. surgeon general says people should exercise 30 minutes most days of the week. But that recommendation is for sedentary people to help them ward off heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. The National Academies' Institute of Medicine, an advisory panel to the federal government, suggests people exercise at a moderately intense level 60 minutes every day.

What to do? Basically, those who want to lose weight will have to work out longer than 30 minutes and at higher intensity levels than just walking, although walking is better than nothing. The more days they work out in a week, the better the results. The higher the intensity of the workout, the more calories burned in a session, which ultimately leads to more weight loss overall.

``We encourage people to exercise throughout the day,'' said Dr. Sami Alskaf, a doctor of internal medicine and director of the Metabolic Obesity and Nutrition Center at Kaiser Permanente in Panorama City.

Physical activity is also critical at night when people tend to consume most of their calories and pack on the pounds.

``You have to have a daily schedule for after 6 or 7 p.m.,'' Alskaf says. ``You might do dancing, exercise, work in the back yard, or you can have a volunteering job.''

Rey suggests people find a fun activity they can see themselves doing in 10 or 15 years. Biking, golfing, hiking, playing volleyball or basketball, kayaking and jogging are some examples.

``Have fun with it and make it a lifestyle thing,'' she said.

Weight training, or resistance training as some call it, helps rev up people's metabolisms because it builds lean body mass, which burns more calories in a day. A pound of fat burns less than two calories a day. A pound of muscle burns between 35 and 50 calories a day. Think of it like this: ``Muscle is a furnace, and fat is a storehouse,'' Roadruck said.

Konca said it is important to change the routine from time to time because the body can get used to the same thing. Someone who walks the same distance and time at the same pace every day will eventually need to increase distance, time or pace to get another boost in metabolism.

``You need to cross the barriers, that's what I call it,'' Konca said.

Eating four to five small meals a day (or every four hours) will help increase metabolism. It takes energy to break down the food each time. Just make sure those meals consist of more complex foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables and not processed foods like chips, pasta and white bread.

``If you're eating more complex foods - an apple instead of a piece of apple pie ... the energy metabolically to break them down, to process them and to get them into the bloodstream and use them is quite a bit more,'' Roadruck said.

He suggests people eat the greatest volume of food with the fewest calories. Eating spicy foods might slightly increase metabolism because it raises the body's temperature, but the increase is not significant enough to warrant eating spicy foods all the time.

Undereating slows metabolism way down.

People who skip breakfast or eat two meals a day are shooting themselves in the foot. The brain monitors food intake and if it feels it's not getting enough, it will turn the metabolism off in an attempt to protect fat.

``Because it doesn't think we're feeding enough, it says, 'Oh, we don't have any grocery stores anymore. It's a famine. So, we're starving,' '' Roadruck said. ``That's the best way to gain weight.''

On the other side, if people eat more food than they burn as fuel in a day, the body will store it as fat.

Certain weight-loss supplements purport to boost metabolism, but they can be dangerous, health experts warn.

Paul Morretti, registered dietitian at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, said these supplements are bad for people's health, especially women who smoke and take birth control pills. People have developed heart problems, increased stroke risk and raised their blood pressure by taking these over-the-counter supplements. In addition, dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so consumers really don't know what they're getting, he said.

``It's really hard to trust. And they're very expensive,'' Morretti said.

There's just no magic pill. And Anna Nicole Smith (who shed an undisclosed number of pounds by taking TrimSpa) doesn't count.

``She's their spokesperson. She can't lie. And, I don't know her too well, but from what I've seen, I don't know if I trust what she says,'' Morretti said.

People need to go back to the true, proven way of doing physical activity and building lean body mass.

``It takes a lot of hard work and discipline,'' Morretti said. ``But it can be done.''

Staff writer Sherry Joe Crosby contributed to this story.

What's your rate?

Everyone has a resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the amount of calories your body uses during the day while you are at rest to fuel body processes. It's different for everyone. And, it burns the biggest chunk of calories.

Some formulas can help you calculate your RMR. One example is the Harris-Benedict equation: (Visit www.sciencemadesimple.com/conversions.htmlLine is overdrawn to figure out conversions to U.S. customary measurements for these equations, or let the computer do the work for you with the online Harris-Benedict calculator at www-users.med.cornell.edu/*spon/picu/calc/beLine is overdrawn ecalc.htm.)

--Women: 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilograms) + (1.8 x height in centimeters) - (4.7 x age in years)

--Men: 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilograms) + (5 x height in centimeters) - 6.8 x age in years)

But mathematical formulas such as this can only give a general idea because they are based on the average, healthy individual and not overweight or obese people. For a more accurate RMR reading, you can ask your doctor or go to facilities such as Loma Linda University Medical Center to be tested on a metabolic cart.

During such a test, you would have to put on something that looks like a space suit and lie under a plastic draping. There'll be a little space bubble around your face to measure levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. To get an accurate measure, you'd have to be well-rested, not have exercised in 24 to 48 hours, come early in the morning and not have eaten since the night before.

Or you can go to certain health clubs or weight-loss centers to have a personal trainer use a handheld device to measure your RMR (for a fee). This method operates under the same premise as the metabolic cart in that it measures the amount of oxygen consumed and the volume of carbon dioxide produced.

Knowing your RMR can help in fitness programs or dieting plans, meaning you will get an idea of how much more you need to exercise or how much less you should eat in a day. Fitness trainers use it to tailor a plan for their clients.

- L.N.

CAPTION(S):

drawing, photo, box

Drawing:

(cover -- color) Rev Up

Turn your turtle-paced metabolism into a racing rabbit

Illustration by Elaine Dalton/Ontario Daily Bulletin

Photo:

Loma Linda University medical assistant Andrea Johnson demonstrates the metabolic cart that's used to accurately measure patients' resting metabolism. The information can be key to developing an effective diet and exercise program.

Thomas R. Cordova/Staff Photographer

Box:

What's your rate? (see text)