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40 is a major milestone for your body–especially when it comes to your metabolism. It’s the age when metabolic function naturally slows down, making it harder to shed the pounds.
“As you age, your metabolism tends to decelerate by about five percent every decade after 40,” says certified nutritionist, New York Times best-selling author of Radical Beauty, and Well+Good Council member Kimberly Snyder. “Estrogen levels decrease causing insulin [the hormone that regulates blood sugar] levels to increase and thyroid [your body’s main metabolic rate regulator] levels to decrease.”
That's where supplements come into play. Experts say that introducing a daily supplement into your routine can significantly improve your metabolism by giving it the natural boost it needs to burn calories efficiently.
In fact, there's one in particular that nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., CNS, suggests taking for weight loss over 40--it's gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)!
"GLA is unparalleled in promoting fat burning by activating a type of fat called brown fat," she tells BetterNutrition.com.
In addition to taking a GLA supplement, other fitness experts say that a daily probiotic can also help improve metabolic function as they promote a healthy digestive system.
“I’m a big fan of soil-based organism (SBO) probiotics, which mimic the natural beneficial bacteria found in soil that our ancestors used to ingest in small amounts on unwashed veggies from the garden,” Snyder explains.
Make sure you talk to your doctor before adding any of these supplements into your weight loss routine!
