Do Men Burn More Fat Than Women?

The facts that men and women are not built the same way and that each gain weight to varying degrees as they age, are both indisputable. In fact, recent statistics are indicating that the average weight gain for adult men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-four have risen from 1.7 to 2.7 pounds within the last one year while that for women of the same age bracket has risen from 1.4 to 2.2 during the same timeframe.

However, when it comes to losing weight, is it really true that men lose weight faster than women? While the average answer to this question will be a "yes", it wouldn't actually be any farther from the truth.

The truth of the matter is that men naturally have certain advantages when it comes to weight loss. Despite how unfortunate this might seem, the fact remains that weight loss cannot be said to be an equal opportunity activity due to the simple fact that gender and age actually play significant roles.

The reasons for men being able to lose weight faster than women are not that far-fetched and are explained under the following three headings.

1. Body Composition
The first advantage men have over women when it comes to who loses weight faster is that men possess a body composition that makes them burn calories a lot faster than women. This is due to the fact that men naturally have greater lean muscle mass (more muscles and lower body fat) than women.

This point becomes very obvious considering the fact that an individual's lean muscle mass is actually the most important factor that determines his or her overall metabolic rate - the body's rate of energy expenditure. This is simply the main reason behind why men burn fat faster than women because it is what determines the rate at which any individual - whether male or female - burns fat.

The increased lean muscle mass that men have make them burn more calories even while at rest resulting in quicker weight loss as their basal metabolic rate (BMR) will to some degree be higher than that of women.

To buttress this fact, several research studies have demonstrated that the average man's metabolic rate is about 5-10 percent higher than that of a woman of the same weight and height. This rate is further increased by the fact that men are averagely taller and often heavier than women, giving them more lean muscle advantage over women.

2. Hormonal Differences
The lean muscle mass that men possess is due to the influence of the male hormone known as testosterone. Testosterone is produced in males by the testes and by the ovaries in females but the production in women is only about one-tenth of that of men.

On the other hand, the feminine body tends to have varying degrees of hormonal fluctuations. For example, there is the general consensus that a woman's body is designed to hold on to body fat in case of pregnancy.

Also, increases in the female hormone estrogen, does not only interfere with muscle building but also interferes with and suppresses thyroid functions. Suppression of the thyroid's functions practically slows metabolism thus making weight loss all the more difficult.

Furthermore, just before her menstrual period, a woman experiences a significant decrease in the production level of estrogen and serotonin - a neurotransmitter which helps the body maintain a relaxed feeling. This decrease in serotonin levels generally leads to irritability and mood swings which more often than not causes an increase in food craving especially for carbohydrate- and fat-rich foods.

3. Activity Levels
A study in the American Journal of Physiology observed that women burn an average of 16% fewer calories than men because their average resting metabolic rates are 6% lower than that of average men. Moreover, the study discovered that the calories expended during physical activities by women were 37% less than that of men and the researchers concluded that this was due to the fact that the women were simply not moving as much as the men and so were burning fewer calories.

This is somehow another unfair advantage men have because the more physical activity that the body can engage in, such as performing high intensity interval training and resistance training, the more lean muscles the body will be able to develop and thus the higher its fat burning capability.

Several research studies have also found that although women generally have a propensity to gain weight faster than men, they however have more difficulties getting rid of it due to most of the reasons already discussed above. Considering the fact that even men find it difficult losing weight, it is therefore somewhat unfortunate that women have to work nearly twice as hard to stay in shape when compared to men.

Men therefore need to become more understanding of the limitations their ladies have to contend with as they actually have an uphill task before them in their attempts to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Consequently, ladies need more encouragement and assistance given all the odds against them in their weight loss efforts.

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