Why Does High Metabolism = Better Health?

[Ukall]

Since I am pretty noob reading Ray Peat articles and I don't understand that much about science in general, I keep wondering why high metabolism equals to better health overall.
Ok, maybe I am not being committed enough on reading all his articles, but even when I read, without understanding them, makes me even more confused.

But let me explain what confuses me most:

In my entire life, what I learned was that high body temperatures + high pulse rate = Disease.
When I first came to Peat's world and read people happily saying that their temperatures are > 37ºC and their pulse rate is >70 bpm, I felt like: whaaaat?
I seriously don't understand. Why in our society (at least on mine) works the exact opposite? For instance, when I meet some athletes that have lower pulse rate, they are really proud of it (the exact opposite from what happens here xD). Not to talk about IF world or even Ketogenic Diets, where continuously stressing our bodies equals to longer life span.

I'm so confused!

(I hope this isn't interpreted as spam or maybe someone already asked this and I couldn't found. If that is the case, I must apologize for that.)

 

[Jayfish]

There is a whole host of reasons. Some of the big ones are a faster digestion for greater assimilation of nutrition and faster elimination of endotoxin, serotonin and estrogen. In turn this raises hormone production of the youth hormones and suppresses stress hormone production.

A higher heart rate would provide the body with much higher quality blood flow and everything that comes along with that. It's no wonder that top level athletes sometimes just drop dead. A very low heart rate and temp is basically hibernation or the beginning of death.

 

[DaveFoster]

High temperature and high pulse rate are just markers for a higher rate of metabolic function. When your cells turnover energy at a faster rate, detoxification pathways and repair systems cycle at a rate proportional to each cell's ability to generate energy.

Think of a bathtub filled with water with the faucet on. A slow metabolic rate would be akin to poking a hole in the drain plug with a needle to try to get the water out. The small hole may slow the rate at which the bathtub overflows, but it'll eventually flood the bathroom. If you poke a larger whole with a knife, or ideally remove the drain plug, then the bath tub will never overflow. Aging is the gradual constriction of the drainage hole.

 

[Ukall]

There is a whole host of reasons. Some of the big ones are a faster digestion for greater assimilation of nutrition and faster elimination of endotoxin, serotonin and estrogen. In turn this raises hormone production of the youth hormones and suppresses stress hormone production.

Well, for me, in my noobish perspective, if digestion is that fast, it means that nutrients aren't being absorbed and so the body is wasting them out. People having 2 BM in a day, is it solid or liquid? Mine would be completely liquid for sure.

A higher heart rate would provide the body with much higher quality blood flow and everything that comes along with that. It's no wonder that top level athletes sometimes just drop dead. A very low heart rate and temp is basically hibernation or the beginning of death.

That's interesting. When I was operated my heart rate was 40 BPM.
After the operation they asked me if I was doing some kind of sport. I was actually swimming, but it wasn't that frequently.
Nevertheless they said to me to be proud of having such a low BPM. You see?

Also, it seems that if my heart is beating more, then I am demanding more effort to it and so wasting its life span.
Let's suppose that my heart has a limited amount of beats. Then beating this fast, I am shortening the length of my life. This is how I see things xD

But if the heart starts to beating too faster, isn't that a problem too? Doesn't heart attack work like that?

High temperature and high pulse rate are just markers for a higher rate of metabolic function. When your cells turnover energy at a faster rate, detoxification pathways and repair systems cycle at a rate proportional to each cell's ability to generate energy.

But at the same time it seems that the cells will die fast because they are being (over)used. So, they will have to renew faster and then we age earlier... This is a mere assumption. I'm ignorant on this, so I am just using my logic sense. And also, I have been more on the IF/Autophagy world, so maybe my vision of things is probably a bit influenced.

Think of a bathtub filled with water with the faucet on. A slow metabolic rate would be akin to poking a hole in the drain plug with a needle to try to get the water out. The small hole may slow the rate at which the bathtub overflows, but it'll eventually flood the bathroom. If you poke a larger whole with a knife, our ideally remove the drain plug, then the bath tub will never overflow. Aging is the gradual constriction of the drainage hole.

That analogy was interesting. Thanks for the explanation :)

 

[Jarman]

Well, for me, in my noobish perspective, if digestion is that fast, it means that nutrients aren't being absorbed and so the body is wasting them out. People having 2 BM in a day, is it solid or liquid? Mine would be completely liquid for sure.


That's interesting. When I was operated my heart rate was 40 BPM.
After the operation they asked me if I was doing some kind of sport. I was actually swimming, but it wasn't that frequently.
Nevertheless they said to me to be proud of having such a low BPM. You see?

Also, it seems that if my heart is beating more, then I am demanding more effort to it and so wasting its life span.
Let's suppose that my heart has a limited amount of beats. Then beating this fast, I am shortening the length of my life. This is how I see things xD

But if the heart starts to beating too faster, isn't that a problem too? Doesn't heart attack work like that?

But at the same time it seems that the cells will die fast because they are being (over)used. So, they will have to renew faster and then we age earlier... This is a mere assumption. I'm ignorant on this, so I am just using my logic sense. And also, I have been more on the IF/Autophagy world, so maybe my vision of things is probably a bit influenced.

That analogy was interesting. Thanks for the explanation :)

You bring out an interesting discussion. Native Asians tend to be lower metabolically due to lower calorie diet compared to Westerners, but they also age well and live longer. Maybe @tyw can gives his two cents in this?

 

[keith]

Ray Peat talks about some of your questions specifically in this article Heart and hormones. Hope that help.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

That's interesting. When I was operated my heart rate was 40 BPM.
After the operation they asked me if I was doing some kind of sport. I was actually swimming, but it wasn't that frequently.
Nevertheless they said to me to be proud of having such a low BPM. You see?

Also, it seems that if my heart is beating more, then I am demanding more effort to it and so wasting its life span.
Let's suppose that my heart has a limited amount of beats. Then beating this fast, I am shortening the length of my life. This is how I see things xD

This is something I believed for most of my life as well. I was a long distance runner and my resting BPM was always under 50. Doctors and people drawing my blood would always compliment me on it.

This is based on a hypothesis called the rate of living theory, whereby the heart only has a set number of beats. Dr. Peat and many others have refuted this idea with evidence that a high heart rate and temperature are indicators of good energy production at a mitochondrial level. Here is a quote from his article, Salt, Energy, Metabolic Rate, & Longevity

"In recent years, Weissman’s “wear-and-tear” theory of aging, and Pearl’s “rate of living” theory have been clearly refuted by metabolic studies that are showing that intensified mitochondrial respiration decreases cellular damage, and supports a longer life-span."

Subjectively, since increasing my heart rate with thyroid supplementation and changes to my diet, I feel remarkably better than I did before. My resting BPM is now around 70. I used to have anxiety so I assumed that a high HR would make me more prone, but it seems my body has found a new set point, and the increased rate just provides me more energy now.

 

[Tarmander]

What is life? Energy and structure. Energy goes through a protein structure, which creates life. Without energy, the structure breaks down. Imagine a line of nails, without a magnet they lay haphazardly. Place a magnet on one end and they align, order from chaos. Higher amounts of energy create more complicated forms of structure, aka consciousness. Higher metabolism, more energy, higher forms of consciousness.

 

[kranum]

Well, for me, in my noobish perspective, if digestion is that fast, it means that nutrients aren't being absorbed and so the body is wasting them out. People having 2 BM in a day, is it solid or liquid? Mine would be completely liquid for sure.

Having three bowel movements in a day that are "solid" is not unusual for me. I think you should beware of thinking about digestion in a too mechanistic fashion.

I guess it is all connected to what is known as the "rate of living" theory, where you only have "a certain number of heartbeats" in your life, which are, I guess, thought to be predetermined from your genes or something. From this view having a lower BPM would be great.
"The key idea was that energy and structure are interdependent, at every level." is stated at Ray's website. As I understand this, it means that the energy that flows through a system can be used to decrease the entropy of the system and generate order. This a very generally applicable statement, but if you think about a how a heart beating faster must have more "energy flowing through it", the energy would, from this perspective, also contribute to strengthening the structure of the heart, and not break the structure, as when the body is looked upon from a mechanistic perspective.
You can probably find more "practical" reasons why having a higher metabolic rate is beneficial, but I think this is the very general perspective.

 

[kranum]

@CoolTweetPete you beat me to it :)

 

[kranum]

And @Tarmander as well...

 

[Kasper]

I don't really understand it either, but I measure my temps regularly, and high temp equals good mood for me. Very low temps equal brain fog and feeling "awkward" in social situations.

Even if I would live 10 years longer with low temps, I would prefer high temps and shorter life. But Ray Peat seemed to do pretty well (80 years old now) on high temps. So even from my noob perspective, it seems that higher metabolism indeed results in a long and happy life.

 

[marikay]

For over 100 years, the medical establishment knew for certain that stomach ulcers were caused by psychological stress. Then someone dropped an antibiotic into a petri dish with ulcerous tissue in it and, voila, now everyone knows for certain that ulcers are caused by bacteria. The same thing will happen with the low pulse is better belief. It's just a matter of when.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

Even if I would live 10 years longer with low temps, I would prefer high temps and shorter life. But Ray Peat seemed to do pretty well (80 years old now) on high temps. So even from my noob perspective, it seems that higher metabolism indeed results in a long and happy life.

Dr. Peat is also very sharp for his age. His writing style and his ability to craft complex, but easy to understand, sentences really stands out in his articles. I often find myself laughing out loud while reading his work, but he's usually not even making a joke.

 

[paymanz]

with high metabolism the rate of tissue renewal is higher, and also you have more energy(mentally and physically) for life.

i think it means your more alive.and also high metabolism makes more co2 which is very good for immune system,improves circulation..and more.

but a high metabolism should be driven by good thyroid function , not by stress hormones.thats important.

 

[Ukall]

Ray Peat talks about some of your questions specifically in this article Heart and hormones. Hope that help.

Going to read that. Thank you!

My resting BPM is now around 70. I used to have anxiety so I assumed that a high HR would make me more prone, but it seems my body has found a new set point, and the increased rate just provides me more energy now.

Jesus, 70 BPM while resting seems so scary for me ahah. I can't imagine me sleeping hearing my heart beating this fast.

What is life? Energy and structure. Energy goes through a protein structure, which creates life. Without energy, the structure breaks down. Imagine a line of nails, without a magnet they lay haphazardly. Place a magnet on one end and they align, order from chaos. Higher amounts of energy create more complicated forms of structure, aka consciousness. Higher metabolism, more energy, higher forms of consciousness.

Then, why all those that start fasting and doing Ketogenic Diets say that they feel more alert? Well, I suppose that it is because of our fight-flight mechanism. Even Zen masters and people who meditate talk about fasting (low metabolism I supposed) and this helps them attain higher levels of consciousness - the exact opposite of what you said :S

Having three bowel movements in a day that are "solid" is not unusual for me. I think you should beware of thinking about digestion in a too mechanistic fashion.

I guess it is all connected to what is known as the "rate of living" theory, where you only have "a certain number of heartbeats" in your life, which are, I guess, thought to be predetermined from your genes or something. From this view having a lower BPM would be great.
"The key idea was that energy and structure are interdependent, at every level." is stated at Ray's website. As I understand this, it means that the energy that flows through a system can be used to decrease the entropy of the system and generate order. This a very generally applicable statement, but if you think about a how a heart beating faster must have more "energy flowing through it", the energy would, from this perspective, also contribute to strengthening the structure of the heart, and not break the structure, as when the body is looked upon from a mechanistic perspective.
You can probably find more "practical" reasons why having a higher metabolic rate is beneficial, but I think this is the very general perspective.

3 BMs?!
Damn, I wish I knew more scientific knowledge overall, but I guess I have to continue with my common sense. So everything I will say are just thoughts that occur in my head.
For example, I think children have high metabolism haven't they? For me, this means that they need high metabolism in order to grow. Later, this metabolism slows down to not grow even faster, this is, to not get old earlier. Does this makes any sense? xD
I think I've also some fear of having faster heartbeat because, unconsciously, I immediately associate that with having a heart attack. And I bet some people feel the same way. Society built this idea in my head, basically.

Very low temps equal brain fog and feeling "awkward" in social situations.

Now that you mention that, people who think that are more intelligent tend to see some social situations as useless or when they see some behaviors equals being crazy. So the calm ones, normally feel like they are superior persons.
You can easily relate that to children from nowadays. The uneasy ones (ADHD, etc) are seen as sick and the calm ones as genius. But perhaps it is the exact opposite, who knows.
I'm telling this because I suffered from anxiety since my youth and all my growth consisted on bringing my anxiety down. I had always issues to concentrate.
On school, teachers used to 'hate' me because I was always perturbing others or I was annoying for the class. But my colleagues that were very calm were the favorites.
Now, I have lost all this energy I had. It's interesting because IF made me even more calm (maybe more alert) on social situations. When I look at myself, there are 2 ways of thinking: I can feel superior, because I don't talk about useless things like my friends do. This boosts my ego and I feel proud of myself; OR, I can see that I don't how to social interact with other and that I don't have any emotions: I don't laugh, I don't cry, I am always feeling the same. It is pretty weird.
However, the way I am now it is seen as a good thing. That now, I am a 'normal' person. That I'm cured.

For over 100 years, the medical establishment knew for certain that stomach ulcers were caused by psychological stress. Then someone dropped an antibiotic into a petri dish with ulcerous tissue in it and, voila, now everyone knows for certain that ulcers are caused by bacteria. The same thing will happen with the low pulse is better belief. It's just a matter of when.

About bacteria is another thing that I don't understand. People take probiotics to increase the bacteria in our guts, right? But I have read here, that Peat is exact the opposite. Gut clean = Better Health. Also, this made me question myself about the idea that more bacteria equals to better immune system. Is this completely wrong?

Not to talk about sugar and how it is related to some psychological disorders and gut issues. It is said that some people when switch to low-carb diets are cured (I am one of those persons = remove sugar, milk, gluten).
So, to complete your sentence, the same thing will happen with sugar (and milk?) and it is a matter of time to see that it is not bad... But I must I admit it's hard to believe sometimes since the mainstream science says always the opposite

with high metabolism the rate of tissue renewal is higher

Exactly. So we are dying earlier because this renewal system has limited time (I'm just sharing what I have been learning, sorry)

not by stress hormones.thats important.

But all those theories like hormesis (Hormesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and even thinking that Ori Hofmekler is going to launch a book about this fact and how can we live longer due to stress... Are they really completely wrong about this?

They say that stress and be very active is the key to achieve that.
Here: being calmed, relaxed and an inactive (?) person is the key to achieve that.

P.S.: Btw, now a thought occurred me: who live longer? Animals that are always active and running or the ones that are completely lazy? Aren't the lazy ones? Hmm, maybe Peat is right ahah xD

 

[gp3690]

Just my understanding of the high metabolism is that the higher the metabolism the faster the cell can regenerate. I believe long living animals like tortoises have extremely high metabolism yet people believe it was must be a low metabolism bc when you look at a tortoise it isnt doing much. As for the fast heartbeat, if you are healthy and your heartbeat is 70-80 you wont even notice it. Its not a hard heart beat like an adrenaline rush. It took me a while to realize this myself. Ray wrote about thinking of the heart as a machine where the harder it works the more likely it is to break down whereas it is really the opposite. It regenerates faster and produces much more energy

 

[Ukall]

As for the fast heartbeat, if you are healthy and your heartbeat is 70-80 you wont even notice it.

That is really interesting, because since I have a semi-low heartbeat (57-60 bpm) comparing to yours, every beat makes my body tremble. Not to mention when I experience palpitations.
[EDIT]Btw, people with very liquid blood are seen as having a problem, because when they bleed they can lose blood very easily. My blood is somehow sticky and this is supposed to be good... now, is it though...?

 

[paymanz]

They say that stress and be very active is the key to achieve that.
Here: being calmed, relaxed and an inactive (?) person is the key to achieve that.

P.S.: Btw, now a thought occurred me: who live longer? Animals that are always active and running or the ones that are completely lazy? Aren't the lazy ones? Hmm, maybe Peat is right ahah xD

i think that part depend on person on in which way it feels best, my own view i dont care about longevity in first place, the quality of life is first and then for sure i like have lng life.

being calm, focused, have strong body.. good energy,motivated.is more important i think.

stress hormones dulls mind,disturb feelings.and damages body, i dont know how it can increase life span, but with high stress hormones for sure your body cant perform very well,joints become weak and sore,skin quality drops, reproductive system get damaged.everything get damage.then i dont care if i age 100 years or not!

 

[gp3690]

^ I could be wrong about that its just my opinion. Also I noticed a few months ago I was sitting on the edge of a friends bed who was sleeping and the bed was shaking I didnt know what it was at first but I realized it was his heartbeat! Hes about 6'5, full head of hair, high Testosterone type so Im assuming very good thyroid status too. I know for sure my heart has never shook the bed lol. Im about 6'1 190, hes bigger but not That much bigger of a person. Definitely interesting that his heartbeat would be that strong