How your body uses its fuel
How we test your Metabolism in Green Bay
Metabolic Rate:
Bioenergy testing can measure metabolic rate, which represents the rate at which the body converts fuel sources into energy. By analyzing oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, bioenergy testing can determine whether the body primarily relies on carbohydrates (glucose), fats (lipids), or a combination of both for energy production.
Respiratory Quotient (RQ):
Bioenergy testing calculates the respiratory quotient (RQ), which is the ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed during metabolism. RQ values provide information about the relative contribution of carbohydrates and fats to energy metabolism. An RQ closer to 1 indicates a greater reliance on carbohydrates, while an RQ closer to 0.7 suggests a greater reliance on fats.
Mitochondrial Function:
Bioenergy testing can assess mitochondrial function, which plays a crucial role in energy production. Mitochondria metabolize glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids through processes such as glycolysis, beta-oxidation, and the citric acid cycle to generate ATP. Dysfunctional mitochondria may affect the body's ability to efficiently utilize different fuel sources for energy production.
Fuel Substrate Utilization:
By analyzing metabolic parameters such as respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and substrate utilization rates, bioenergy testing can provide insights into how efficiently the body metabolizes carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. This information can help identify metabolic imbalances and guide personalized interventions, such as dietary modifications or targeted supplementation, to optimize fuel substrate utilization and energy metabolism.
Transcript:
At a cellular level, the ratios between oxygen and carbon dioxide will change based on what the body is burning and what it needs to get more energy. When you're walking on the treadmill, and if you get your heart rate up a little bit, more than likely you're burning fat. If you start running on the treadmill, you need more energy. The switch is going to happen. We're going to see the ratio change. You're going to start to burn more glucose, because you can get more energy from glucose than you can from fat. But fat is stable and steady and the older we get, we want to make sure we're efficiently burning fat to feel good and so that we don't just deposit fat. So it's all about the balance. When you're really working out hard, you become anaerobic. So those cells that are requiring a lot more energy, they go different route, an alternative route, lactic acid route as an example, because they can get more energy, at least temporarily.
From Conversations to Inspire by Theresa Moore. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Listen to episode 1: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0TsG0cbX5oIV54JQ22tFeL
Listen to episode 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ea0JYTDugwH6J5xDOTEkF