- Healthy habits like muscle-building exercise and good sleep can boost metabolism, an endocrinologist says.
- But common calorie-burning strategies like eating certain foods or meal timing aren’t evidence-based.
- While caffeine increases metabolism slightly, supplements in general won’t lead to significant results.
If you want to lose weight, a healthy metabolism is a key factor, and certain lifestyle changes can help or hurt your ability to burn calories over time, according to Dr. Deena Adimoolam, a specialist in endocrinology, metabolism and obesity medicine.
The most important changes involve regular exercise, especially strength training, to build more muscle, as well as getting adequate rest and recovery, she said.
However, you should steer clear of products or programs that promise results from specific foods, meal plans, supplements, or even “metabolism-boosting” workouts, since many aren’t evidence based.
Here are three habits to support a healthy metabolism, and four popular tips that don’t work, according to science.