Understanding your metabolism
Metabolism is the complex process within your body that converts food to energy. Your metabolism is impacted by many factors and can influence your energy levels, weight, body composition, and even mood. This screening test can help you understand how your hormone levels might influence your metabolism.
What is metabolic testing?
A traditional metabolic test measures the rate at which your body converts calories to energy. An example of metabolic testing is VO2 max testing (imagine the type of test where someone is walking or running on a treadmill with a breathing mask attached to their face). The test measures the amount of oxygen your body uses during exercise to assess your metabolic rate. This type of metabolic testing at home is not feasible because it requires special equipment and a trained professional.
At-home metabolism testing
Changes in hormones that regulate metabolism influence your energy levels, weight, and body composition. You can test these hormone levels from the comfort of your home. Our metabolism test measures 3 hormones—cortisol, testosterone, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)–that play key roles in how the body’s metabolism functions.
In general, thyroid health can strongly influence metabolism. Our metabolism test measures the primary indicator of thyroid health, TSH. Everlywell also offers a more comprehensive thyroid test should you be interested.
Testosterone influences muscle mass and athletic performance. Testosterone levels will be much higher in men than in women. This test checks your testosterone levels and may be able to identify if you have a hormonal imbalance.
Cortisol is released as the body’s primary stress hormone. It also plays a role in mobilizing blood glucose (blood sugar) to the brain, regulating fat storage, and maintaining muscle mass. High levels of cortisol can interfere with the normal function of this hormone and lead to dysregulation of fat storage and muscle breakdown.
As always with Everlywell, easy-to-interpret test results will be available to you (and, if you choose, your physician) online.