A study has found that middle-aged spread is a myth and metabolism peaks at age one and does not drop off until 60.
The research, published in the journal Science, surveyed 6,400 people, from eight days old up to age 95, in 29 countries.
Its findings suggest the metabolism remains “rock solid” throughout mid-life, after peaking at the age of one, before declining from 60.
Prof John Speakman, from the University of Aberdeen, described the results as a “picture we’ve never really seen before”.
“The most surprising thing for me is there is no change throughout adulthood - if you are experiencing mid-life spread you can no longer blame it on a declining metabolic rate,” he told the BBC.
The study also found there was no metabolic surge during either puberty or pregnancy and no slowdown around the menopause, reported the broadcaster.
“When people talk about metabolism, they think diet and exercise - but it is deeper than that, we are actually watching your body, your cells, at work,” according to Prof Herman Pontzer, from Duke University.
“They are incredibly busy at one year old and when we see declines with age, we are seeing your cells stopping working.”
Prof Pontzer also believes that fully understanding the shifting metabolism could have implications in medicine.
He told BBC that it could help reveal whether cancers spread differently as the metabolism changes and if drug doses could be adjusted during different phases.
