Why your metabolism changes as you age — and what you can do now

(Aging Untold) — Metabolism is how your body makes and uses energy, burns fuel, keeps up strength and recovers from day to day. As we get older, that process can change and affect how we feel and how our bodies function. Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, said metabolism is about much more than the number on the scale. Metabolism is the body’s ‘power plant’ “Metabolism really is the language of your cells, and your cells operate on energy,” Rogers said. “What’s supplying that energy is these little battery packs called mitochondria.” Gerontologist “Sam” Cradduck compared metabolism to the body’s “power plant.” Mitochondria are the batteries that power it and every organ has its own power plant, Rogers said. “The brain requires a lot of power, the heart requires a lot of power,” Rogers said. “If you deplete that power in an organ that needs a lot, you’re going to start to see symptoms sooner.” That is why changes in the eyes and ears show up in older people, she said. “They r