Can Exercise Actually "Boost" Your Metabolism? | Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter | TED

We often hear that exercise can help with weight loss

譯者: Winston Chung 審譯者: Yi-Ping Cho (Marssi)

我們常聽說運動可以加速或促進 新陳代謝，有助減輕體重。

by speeding up or boosting our metabolism.

So is it true?

是真的嗎？

Can we use exercise to control our metabolism?

我們能用運動來控制新陳代謝嗎？

[Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter]

【珍‧甘特醫生談身體的五四三】

To answer that question,

要回答這個問題，

we have to first dig deeper into what metabolism is.

我們需要深入了解 什麼是新陳代謝。

No surprise, metabolism is really complex,

不意外，新陳代謝非常複雜，

and scientists and researchers are still discovering many new things about it.

科學研究還陸續有新發現。

Very simply,

簡單說，

metabolism is the set of chemical reactions in every cell of our body

新陳代謝是人體細胞中的一組 化學反應，能控制能量，讓我們活著。

that harnesses energy to keep us alive.

So much of what happens in our bodies is metabolism,

我們身體裡發生的事 有許多屬於新陳代謝，

making new cells is metabolism, growing hair is metabolism,

造新細胞是新陳代謝， 長頭髮是新陳代謝，

and converting food into energy is metabolism.

轉化食物為能量也是新陳代謝。

The sum total energy of all the metabolic processes

我們身體新陳代謝產生能量的總和

that occur throughout our body is measured in calories.

是以卡路里來衡量。

And surprisingly,

令人驚訝的是，

exercise is usually a small percentage of our daily calorie burn.

運動通常只是我們每天 消耗掉卡路里的一小部分。

Unless you're a professional athlete,

除非你是職業運動員，

most of our calorie expenditure is accounted for

我們大部分的卡路里消耗在 基礎新陳代謝率。

by our basal metabolic rate.

All the vital stuff we need to function, like having a heartbeat, growing hair,

所有我們身體運作所需的要事， 例如心跳，長毛髮，

building cells and even blinking.

製造細胞，甚至眨眼。

That stuff takes up a big chunk of our energy.

這些機能用掉我們能量的一大部分。

So can we hack this equation in some way?

我們有辦法破解這方程式嗎？

Can we use exercise to speed up our metabolism

我們能用運動加速新陳代謝

so we burn more energy?

而消耗更多能量嗎？

Can we burn even more calories?

我們能消耗更多卡路里嗎？

Not just doing burpees,

不只是做波比跳，

but while we're growing an eyelash, than before?

當我們長眼睫毛的時候， 也能比以前消耗更多卡路里嗎？

The answer is no.

答案是不能。

First of all,

首先，

this is a misunderstanding of what fast versus slow metabolism really indicates.

這是對新陳代謝快或慢 真正含義的誤解。

There's no clear link between thinner people and fast metabolism,

苗條的人和快速的新陳代謝 沒有明顯的關聯，

and the same goes for larger people and slow metabolism.

胖的人和緩慢的新陳代謝 也一樣沒有明顯的關聯。

In fact, if you look at the absolute numbers,

事實上，如果你只看數字，

people with larger bodies have faster metabolisms,

體型大的人新陳代謝比較快，

meaning they burn more calories because larger bodies have more cells,

意味著他們消耗更多卡路里， 因為大的體型有較多細胞，

which in turn are doing more to sustain the body.

需要消耗更多才能維持運轉。

Now, differences in metabolism between people with similar body sizes do exist,

體型類似的人的確有新陳代謝的差異，

but the difference between fast metabolism and slow metabolism

但是新陳代謝快和慢的差異

can be about 300 calories.

大約只是300卡路里。

That’s like two apples and a banana.

相當於兩個蘋果和一根香蕉。

How fast our metabolism works is mostly genetic

我們新陳代謝的速度 主要決定於基因，

and related to body size, but there's also age.

也和體型有關，年齡也有影響。

Our metabolic rate changes a few times over our lifespan.

我們的新陳代謝率在一生裡 會改變幾次。

We start with the metabolic rate of an infant.

起初是嬰兒的新陳代謝率。

Then there is a switch when we are toddlers,

然後轉變到兒童時期，

and then it’s pretty stable during adulthood to age 60,

然後成年一直到 60 歲都相當穩定，

when it changes again.

然後再次改變。

Researchers evaluated the Hadza,

研究人員評估了坦尚尼亞的 哈札人（Hadza），

a group of people in Tanzania

who live a traditional hunter gatherer lifestyle.

他們仍過著捕獵採集的原始生活。

And yet, when you control for body size and age,

但是，當你控制體型和年齡的因素，

they burn a similar amount of calories a day

他們每天消耗的卡路里 和美國平均的成年人很類似。

as an average American adult.

It seems that calories out is a pretty fixed number,

似乎卡路里的消耗 是一個相當固定的數字，

and it appears that our bodies have limits.

而且我們的身體也有極限。

If we exercise harder, at first we may expend more energy,

如果我們更賣力運動， 一開始可能會消耗掉更多能量，

but over time,

但是過了一段時間，

our metabolism will find ways to conserve.

我們的新陳代謝會找到辦法保存能量。

Here's what I'm getting at.

要講到我的重點了。

The point of our metabolic system is to manage energy,

我們新陳代謝系統的目的 是管理能量，

not to manage weight.

不是管理體重。

So if you read an article

所以，如果你讀到一篇文章，

or hear a so-called expert inviting you to boost your metabolism,

或聽到所謂的專家 邀請你去促進新陳代謝，

remember that’s just marketing speak rooted in a weight loss culture.

記住，那只是扎根於 減重文化的行銷之詞。

And it just isn’t true.

那不是真的。