In my experience, when men and women are pitted against each other, women often come out on top.
I know my wife and daughter would certainly agree! But a recent study shows that men may actually have the upper hand when it comes to one important thing: losing weight.
It all comes down to the way we’re built.
Despite all of our shared similarities, men and women have different physical makeups. When it comes to losing weight, male bodies seem to do it slightly faster and more efficiently than female bodies do.
One reason for this is that men and women burn fat differently — men’s metabolism gets revved up when they burn fat in a way that doesn’t happen in women.
Researchers looked at more than 2,000 men and women who were overweight and had blood sugar levels in the pre-diabetic range. For eight weeks, these people ate a low-calorie diet of shakes, soups, cereals, and veggies.
In the end, the men lost 16 percent more weight than the women did. As a group, they also had lower heart rates, less body fat, and a lower risk for diabetes.
One of the main reasons men came out on top in this study is because they typically have more lean muscle mass than women do, and a higher metabolic rate because of it.
Lean muscle supercharges your metabolism.
So one of the most important things women can do to stay fit and healthy as they age is to lift weights. This adds lean muscle and also makes bones stronger, which is important, especially if you’re eating a low-calorie diet.
